Students, city to plant tree for Arbor Day

by Dan Holland

Students and teachers of Assumption Academy, located at 9183 Broadview Rd., helped plant a maple tree on the church/school campus on April 26 in honor of Arbor Day.

Jim Kraus, chair of the Broadview Heights Shade Tree Commission, read aloud a proclamation from Mayor Sam Alai to honor the occasion. Director of Public Service David Schroedel and service department workers helped students shovel loads of dirt around the tree, which they planted just north of the church building near Broadview Road.

“It’s really exciting for them,” said Sarah Cvitkovich, who teaches fourth and fifth grade at the school. “I run the eco club, so the students are really passionate about the environment, and we started a school garden too. Adding this tree out front is just another way of them adding to the beauty of our campus.”

A number of students drew pictures and read original poetry aloud specially for the event.

“We asked them what they were inspired by when we were talking about Arbor Day and the importance of it,” Cvitkovich added. “We discussed in our last meeting why Arbor Day is a thing, and why it’s so important for the environment. So, they were making drawings and writing poems based off of what they learned.”

“We talked about being the face of this event for our school as the eco club,” she continued. “So, they understood the importance of it, and they were really excited to take part in this today.” ∞

Photo: Service Department Assistant Foreman Neal Kaczmarek (left) and Director of Public Services David Schroedel (right) aid students of Assumption Academy in heaping shovelfuls of dirt around a newly planted maple tree on Arbor Day. Photo by Dan Holland