{"id":15133,"date":"2026-05-01T11:58:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:58:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=15133"},"modified":"2026-05-01T11:58:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:58:52","slug":"parkway-elementary-students-join-community-partners-to-plant-roots-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/parkway-elementary-students-join-community-partners-to-plant-roots-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Parkway Elementary students join community partners to plant roots for the future"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An Arbor Day tree-planting ceremony was held April 24 at Parkway Elementary. The school’s third graders learned about the importance of trees and selected a red oak for the front of the school. From left, Virginia Beach schoolboard member Mike Callan, mayor Bobby Dyer, councilwoman Jennifer Rouse, schoolboard member Melinda Rogers, school superintendent Dr. Donald Robinson Jr., city arborist Ashe Obenaus, Heather Gargano from the Virginia Department of Forestry, principal Dr. Katie Cantania and tree stewards Elaine Simpson and Anne Mannarino.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Cindy Butler Focke<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

A red oak tree will stand tall at Parkway Elementary for years to come, thanks in part to the school\u2019s third graders.<\/p>\n

Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer, VBCPS Superintendent Dr. Donald Robertson Jr. and others joined students April 24 to celebrate Arbor Day and the tree\u2019s planting.<\/p>\n

Third grader Marquia King said it\u2019s important to celebrate and care for trees.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun to explore lots of trees because they are good for the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier in the school year, Virginia Beach Master Gardener tree stewards visited third grade classrooms after an invitation from teacher Chrissy Sommer.<\/p>\n

Tree stewards promote environmentally sound and sustainable practices. They work with the city\u2019s arborist team to protect trees and answer questions from the community about the best locations for new trees.<\/p>\n

Sommer said students \u201cwere excited and so curious.\u201d Their lessons were tied into their study of ecosystems, plant lifecycles and environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n

They also chose which tree would be planted in the front of their school. From a list of six trees provided by city arborists, the third graders voted to select the red oak primarily because their school colors are red and black. The black gum tree came in second.<\/p>\n

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Before participating in an Arbor Day tree-planting ceremony, Parkway Elementary third graders were welcomed by city arborist city arborist Ashe Obenaus, left, who introduced mayor Bobby Dyer. Heather Gargano from the Virginia Department of Forestry, city councilwoman Jennifer Rouse and school principal Dr. Katie Cantania also spoke.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Students could barely sit still in the school cafeteria as they awaited the kickoff celebration.<\/p>\n

City Arborist Ashe Obenaus announced that the city has planted about 1,800 new trees this year. \u201cTrees provide enormous benefits to the earth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He introduced Mayor Dyer, who congratulated students for helping to keep the city \u201cvibrant, green and growing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor read a proclamation celebrating the 154th<\/sup> anniversary of Arbor Day and the city\u2019s 46th<\/sup> year receiving a Tree City USA designation.<\/p>\n

Heather Gargano from the Virginia Department of Forestry explained that Tree City USA inspires communities to prioritize the planting and caring for trees.\u00a0 She asked the third graders, \u201cWhat does a tree say that\u2019s having a bad day?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her answer \u2014 \u201cLeaf me alone!\u201d \u2014 received quite a few laughs.<\/p>\n

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Smokey Bear high-fived “Barks” from Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation following the Arbor Day celebration at Parkway Elementary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Perhaps the biggest round of applause came when Smokey Bear from the U.S. Forest Service and Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation\u2019s \u201cBarks\u201d mascot were introduced.<\/p>\n

The mascots led everyone outside for the new tree\u2019s ceremonial planting. Afterward, students poured small cups of compost around the tree.<\/p>\n

The compost came from the school\u2019s compost bin. Marquia explained that the school doesn\u2019t waste food.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people don\u2019t eat their food, it goes in a bin and is mixed up to make the soil healthy,\u201d she said. \u201cIt gives it good nutrients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students regularly place the compost in the school\u2019s outdoor herb and butterfly garden.<\/p>\n

Sommer said students have benefited from the hands-on, real-world experiences caring for plants and trees. They are excited about learning because \u201cthey have ownership in it,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n

The red oak tree was funded by the Virginia Beach Beautification Commission. Member Kay Slover Eckhardt called the tree-planting \u201ca partnership with nature and humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students are taking responsibility for the future, she said.<\/p>\n

Mayor Dyer commended the commission, school and other participants, including the Virginia Department of Forestry, Virginia Beach Council of Garden Clubs, tree stewards and Bee City USA, an organization committed to conserving native pollinators.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe celebrate the cooperation between public, private and civic organizations to make Virginia Beach a beautiful place to live,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As if planned, a heavy downpour watered the tree less than a half hour after the ceremony,<\/p>\n

Principal Dr. Katie Catania described the students\u2019 experience as \u201cimpactful and inspiring.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Parkway Elementary third graders poured compost created from food discarded in the school cafeteria at the base of the school’s newly-planted red oak tree. The school hosted an Arbor Day ceremony on April 24.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Smokey Bear and Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation’s mascot “Barks” also assisted.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cindy Butler Focke A red oak tree will stand tall at Parkway Elementary for years to come, thanks in part to the school\u2019s third graders. Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":15138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-connections","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15133"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15133\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15144,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15133\/revisions\/15144"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}