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Bainbridge Elementary plants trees, names trail
BAINBRIDGE -- In a week of bad weather, Friday's clear and sunny day was perfect for tree planting and trail walking.
The walking trail on the east part of Bainbridge now has a name -- Pointers Pathway -- and four new trees thanks in part to students from Bainbridge Elementary.
In honor of Arbor Day, Bainbridge Elementary first-graders from Christine Hankins' class and the school's Green Team came to the walking trail to christen the park and plant four trees.
These trees, a maple, a tulip, an oak and a corkscrew willow, are native to Indiana, said Marsha Burns, member of the town's park board.
The students of Bainbridge Elementary were invited to be part of a contest to name the trail several weeks ago. The winning name, "Pointers Pathway," was selected anonymously as the winner. The winning student was in Hankins' class.
Hankins is also the sponsor of the Green Team, which is a group of Bainbridge Elementary students from many different grades that celebrate "green" activities and knowledge.
The school also donated the tulip tree.
The park currently features a hiking trail about one-third of a mile long as well as the four new trees. The town plans to place a few benches in the area and some outdoor exercise equipment in the near future.
After reciting some facts about Arbor Day, Hankins' students began to fill in the holes around the newly planted trees.
"Hopefully they didn't wear their good shoes," Burns said.
The young first-graders were excited to help, and they cried out every time they found a worm in the freshly dug soil.
"There's a worm!" one first-grader said.
"Leave it there. It'll help the tree," said another.
While there is still some work to be done on the park, Jason Hartman, town treasurer, said that the difference from two years ago is astounding.
"This place was a salvage yard," Hartman said. "We've still got a lot of work to do though."