Wellwood Middle School was recently nationally recognized for its commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability.
The Arbor Day Foundation named the school a 2025-26 Tree Campus after approving an application submitted by Wellwood Courtyard Club Advisors Jeni Leslie and Sara Schultz. They learned of the opportunity from a district parent, Charity Patel, who is also chair of the Fayetteville Tree Commission.
“Sara and I are both tree lovers and advocates for environmental sustainability,” Leslie said. “We applied as a promise to ourselves to continue prioritizing an appreciation for nature and sustainability in our classrooms.”
The Tree Campus K-12 program encourages schools to use trees as an experiential learning tool. To earn the national designation, schools must meet four goals throughout the school year:
- Maintain a Tree Campus Team: Establish a dedicated group of students, teachers and community members who oversee the school’s tree-focused initiatives.
- Create an Education Plan: Develop curriculum connections that teach students about trees and their broader global and environmental benefits.
- Offer a Hands-On Experience: Engage students in direct service-learning, such as planting trees on campus or participating in woodland cleanups.
- Hold an Arbor Day Observance: Celebrate the importance of trees with a dedicated ceremony or educational event for the school and local community.
Leslie and Schultz began the Wellwood Courtyard Club in 2010. The following year, they received a grant to turn the courtyard into green learning space where lessons could be taught and nature could be appreciated. The club continues to maintain the space and keep it beautiful.
The group had planted two cherry trees in the courtyard, which produced cherries that they used to make cherry cobbler. When those trees needed to be replaced, Leanna Wohl Nugent of Cornell Cooperative Extension helped facilitate the Manlius Tree Commission donating an Eastern Redbud tree in 2024, Leslie said.
The club has invited Wohl Nugent to campus several times to talk with the students about the importance of trees, and they plan to continue their relationship with her and Cornell Cooperative Extension.
During last month’s Arbor Day celebration at Wellwood, which took place on April 22, the Courtyard Club met to learn about the history of Arbor Day and more about the Eastern Redbud tree, read some picture books about trees and enjoyed some snacks in the courtyard.
“There is a lot of value in trees: they are beautiful, they provide oxygen, they are homes to animals. They are essential for human life,” Schultz said. “We study them in fifth grade science, and we have so many beautiful trees on our Wellwood campus. This is an opportunity to be curious and learn so much more about the trees around us.”
