Tree and a treat: Millersburg first-graders plant a memory, topping it off with ice cream

MILLERSBURG − Millersburg Elementary School and Millersburg Tree City USA joined together for the ninth year to celebrate Arbor Day with the planting of a tree and some treats for first grade students.

Planning ahead and avoiding Friday's inclement weather, Tree City Committee member Kim Kellogg planted a tree on the hillside on the north side of the school property on Thursday afternoon.

Then, at an assembly for the first-graders on Friday, a question-and-answer session and conversation about the many good qualities of trees were held. The students learned trees provide protection for animals, food for animals and people, as well as providing shade and helping to keep a house cool. Trees also oxygenate the air.

Excitement for the kids

Tree City Board President Brent Hofstetter explained what he likes about the annual celebration, and it all has to do with the kids.

“It’s always fun to see the excitement in the kids," he said. "Sometimes you lose that as an adult, and the kids are so excited about it. It’s a fun day to come here and spend some time with the kids.”

Hofstetter noted Millersburg Tree City does a lot of other things besides planting trees, such as tree removal, maintenance, pruning and taking care of the different stages of the life of trees.

Tree City has planted more than 200 trees throughout Millersburg and continues to play a vital role in the beautification of the village, and just as importantly it has taken a leading role in providing trees that serve various roles in benefitting the earth and conservation practices.

Kellogg added the group is doing its best to help Millersburg become more tree friendly.

A small gift with huge potential for the students

The Tree City members handed out small oak tree saplings to each student for them to take home and plant, in hopes those trees, along with the one they planted at school, would serve as a reminder of the important role trees play in the world.

Brent Schrock, a member of International Society of Arborists, Tree City Committee member and employee for Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, provided instructions for the best way to plant the trees.

“You’ve got to plant them at just the right height. The root flair is crucial," Schrock said. "There’s a saying, ‘plant them low, slow to grow; plant then high, sure to die'.”

“You want to plant them right where the root flair starts,” added Kellogg. “And you don’t want to cover them with too much mulch either. Make sure you use just a little mulch and don’t go up the trunk at all.”

Schrock said trees should never be planted too close to a powerline because it can be dangerous for animals and people.

“Plant your tree back away from a power line to be safe,” Schrock said.

Lasting memories: 'That's our tree'

Tree City committee member and Millersburg Elementary School teacher Megan Stryker said her son walks past the tree his class planted several years ago and says, “that’s our tree” referring to his class.

“Someday years from now you can come back to school and tell your children and grandchildren that the tree we planted is your Arbor Day tree,” Kellogg said.

To top off the event the students got an additional treat as Tree City member Arlie Rodhe provided ice cream for the students to close out the program.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Millersburg first-graders plant a memory, top it off with ice cream