BILLINGS – Fourth-grade students from around Billings celebrated Arbor Day with a ceremonial tree planting at Optimist Park.
Students from each class helped to plant the tree, which is the culmination of a day of learning.
The event takes kids out of the classroom, rotating through different education stations where they learn around nature, conservation and the world around them.
“We bring a lot of professionals in who have experience in managing natural areas and those types of things so we just feel like it’s a great synergy with bringing the students in and giving them a chance to learn,” said Chris Waite, the volunteer coordinator for the parks department. “[It helps] them learn more about what we can do to protect the environment.”
In all, over 500 students participated in the Arbor Day event.
In addition to having the students there, about 100 volunteers were also at Optimist Park, planting other trees and helping to clean up the park.
Reporting by Samantha Harrelson for MTN News
