SVHS Gets a Little Shady

With 14 trees planted over the weekend, Scotts Valley High School students now have a little respite from the sun that sometimes heats the campus to unbearable temperatures.

The high school, which sits at the top of a hill, has very little landscaping and almost no trees and tends to heat up very quickly in the warmer months. Students and parents have long voiced the need for more trees or shaded areas on the campus.

"Our school gets really hot, sometimes 10 to 20 degrees hotter than at my house," said sophomore Melissa McGee, who participated in the tree planting through the school's Interact Club. "Right now the quad is the only place that gets any shade, and we don't all fit under there. The only alternative on hot days is to go into a classroom, and most kids don't want to do that."

The project, sponsored by the Scotts Valley Rotary Club and Interact clubs from the high school and middle school, brought nearly 35 students and Rotarians together for the day of community service, in which redwood, magnolia and ornamental pear trees were planted in a grassy area of the campus.

"We got the idea to do the project by listening to what the community wanted," said Rotarian Jill Hitchman, who oversees the middle school Interact Club. "We hear parents saying they wish there were more trees at the high school.  The campus is almost barren, and in the hot months, it gets almost scorching, and there is no escape from the elements."

Hitchman added that landscapers from Scotts Valley's Terra Bella Landscaping, who advised on the types of trees that should be used and mapped out where they should be planted, said that if the school had trees, it would reduce temperatures on campus by 15 percent.  

The much-needed project turned out to be a real community event. Nearly 35 adults and students showed up to do all of the work, including transporting the trees to the school, digging the holes and planting the trees. And in addition to Terra Bella offering its service for free, Scarborough Gardens donated the use of its trucks to transport the trees, eight of which were donated. The other six trees were bought by the Rotary Club.

Though there was much support from many members of the community, the students really stepped up to make the project a success, according to Scotts Valley Fire Chief Mike McMurry.

"They kind of took ownership of the trees," said McMurry, who is the Rotary Club's community service chairman. "They named them, and I think this is a place they will go to hang out now. They will take good care of them."

The students came up with the idea to name the trees on their own, and though some of the names were after favorite characters in televisions shows, one was named for a very special reason. Daniel, the magnolia tree, was named after Daniel Garcia, the beloved school custodian who died last month from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.

"The students took this on themselves and came up with the names themselves," Hitchman said.

The Interact clubs take on many projects, such as the tree planting, each year. Sponsored by the Rotary Club, Interact is a "mini-Rotary," said Hitchman. Interact has been on the high school campus for several years, but this is the first year the middle school has had a club.

"This club is for kids that want to learn about leadership and make a difference in their community and the world," Hitchman said. "It teaches kids about helping others, which sometimes is lost in the everyday shuffle."

Both clubs run themselves and have Rotarians simply there to guide them. The students elect their own officers and choose the types of service projects they want to take on. The high school club has taken on projects such as collecting food for Second Harvest and preparing shelter boxes. The high school club also plans a mural at the school in remembrance of Garcia.

"It's a great stepping stone to community service," McMurry said. "Ideally, it's a lifelong value that they can carry forward, whether they join Rotary or do other community service."

For more information on the Scotts Valley Rotary Club, visit scottsvalleyrotary.org/