Photo Taken by my Teacher

On Friday, February 20th, 2026, the sixth graders at my school planted 35 trees at Hillside Park in Durham, North Carolina, as a part of community service. We planted trees because they are an important part of our community as they prevent soil erosion, take CO2 and turn it into oxygen, and regulate the water cycle!

In order to plant the trees, we had to:

1. Find a spot to plant a tree!
2. We had to use our shovels to make a pretty big outline of the bucket the tree was in.
3. We had to dig the hole deep enough into the ground for the tree to fit into.
4. We took the tree roots out of the bucket.
5. We had to loosen the roots! (Fun Fact: If you don’t loosen the roots when planting the tree, the roots stay in the same place and when they grow they start choking themselves eventually killing them😔!)
6. We put the loosened tree roots into the soil.
7. We covered the roots with the dug out soil.
8. Finally, we put a donut of mulch around the buried tree roots!🍩

Originally John Sprunt Hill donated the land for Hillside Park to the city. Later, the land was turned into the first high school in Durham that accepted black students. Before that, black students in Durham only had education up until 8th grade! That’s crazy!

Anyways, with Spring coming up, we need to beat the heat! So, next time you’re standing under some shade, maybe look up and be thankful for that great big tree you’re standing under and remember what a big part it plays in nature and your life!