For a few minutes Friday afternoon, the kindergartners at Laurene Edmondson Elementary were living every 5-year-old’s dream — flinging dirt in public with complete adult endorsement as they helped with a ceremonial tree planting.
The scene was a little chaotic, more than a little adorable and exactly the kind of moment Loveland and Thompson School District officials hoped to create during the city’s annual celebration of its urban forest.
“We thought it would be cool for the kindergarten to do it,” said Edmonson Principal John Berg. “They’ll be here the longest and get to see it grow.”
The ceremony also marked Loveland’s 37th consecutive year as a Tree City USA, a designation awarded by the Arbor Day Foundation to communities that have demonstrated a strong commitment to their urban tree canopy.
Upholding that commitment was a recurring theme throughout the afternoon.
Before the dirt-flinging, students packed into the school gym while city representatives and special guests spoke about the importance of trees and the long-term impact of planting them.
“When we plant a tree today, we aren’t looking backwards, we’re looking forward,” Loveland Urban Forester Jeff Caputo told the students. “We are planting a gift for the future.”
Caputo went on to tell the students that trees are “the hardest working members of our community,” explaining that they clean the air, cool neighborhoods and provide homes for wildlife. He also reminded students that the trees lining Loveland’s streets and parks exist because previous generations chose to plant them decades ago.
“So today, we are passing the shovel to you,” he said.
Before reading the city’s Arbor Day proclamation, Loveland Mayor Pro Tem Andrea Samson expanded on that idea, encouraging students to think about the long-term impact of even small acts like planting a tree.
“Some of the trees planted years ago by students just like you are still standing in Loveland today,” she said. “That means that whatever you can do now will make a difference for people many, many years from now — that’s pretty amazing.”
The students also heard from Colorado State Forest Service representative Greg Zausen, who described Arbor Day as one of his favorite holidays because it combines celebration with action, and from Platte River Power Authority Chief Sustainability Officer Tim Blodgett, who explained how trees can help reduce energy use by cooling homes and neighborhoods with shade.
Also attending Friday’s ceremony were Thompson School District Superintendent Bret Heller, Larimer County Commissioner John Kefalas and Loveland City Council members Sarah Rothberg and Kalina Middleton, along with additional city Parks and Recreation staff.
Friday’s ceremonial planting marked the beginning of a larger landscaping effort at Edmondson Elementary, where about 20 new trees are expected to be planted around the campus in the coming weeks.
Berg said the additions will eventually provide much-needed shade around playgrounds, gathering spaces and outdoor learning areas.
“Along this fence we do our neighborhood block party the day before school starts,” he said, pointing to the fence on the south side of the property. “And those two trees are our only shade for 400 people in the middle of August.”
The school also plans to have each grade level “adopt” individual trees, give them a memorable name and help care for them.
“It will be something they can be proud of,” Berg said. “They’ll be able to say, ‘That’s the fourth-grade tree. We adopted that.’ I think that’ll be kind of cool.”
