Eighteen students from Newburgh’s Horizons on the Hudson Elementary School planted a tree nursery on Wednesday for shade and ornamental trees that were donated by Mid Hudson Subaru of Wappingers Falls in honor of Earth Day 2019.

The dozen baby trees were planted in Tyrone Crabb Park at the corners of South and Grand Streets, adjacent to Horizons on the Hudson School. Just two feet high right now, the bare root trees, including Eastern Redbuds, Red Maples and Black Tupelos, will be tended by Horizon students until they are strong enough to be replanted in tree-less areas around the city that have been recognized as “heat islands”.

Horizons Principal Robert Glowacki, fifth grade teachers Ms. Bonne and Ms. Zeffiro, Assistant Superintendent of Finance Mr. Gregory Kern, Chairman of the Conservation Advisory Council of the City of Newburgh, Chuck Thomas, City Council Member Anthony Grice, gardeners Genie Abrams and Kippy Boyle, and Peter Maher, owner of Mid Hudson Subaru, and some generous local volunteers, joined the students under a sunny sky to prepare the plot and plant the trees at Crabb Park.

The students donned green Subaru Loves the Earth t-shirts and gardening gloves, and Genie Abrams taught the class what the young trees need to take root and grow over the next two years in their care. Ms. Bonne used the opportunity to teach real-life biology and math lessons while the students got to work pulling rocks out of the cleared patch of dirt. They took turns aerating the soil, digging holes, planting the trees and watering them, finding plenty of earthworms along the way.

Principal Glowacki chose the ICT class, whose students face many challenges, for this project to give them a chance to get outside and learn by getting their hands dirty. It was clear how grounding the event was for the 10-13 year olds and how much fun they had creating the tree nursery. “My favorite part of this project was being outside in the park and learning about how trees grow”, one fifth grader said as he brushed dirt from his knees with a big smile on his face.

Named for Tyrone Crabb, the park opened in May of 2015. Crabb was elected Mayor of the City of Newburgh in 1999, and died only days before he was to take office. Reconstruction of the long vacant lot chosen for Crabb Park began to take shape in 2014 and now serves as a green community gathering place in the heart of the city.

Mid Hudson Subaru, the first Eco-Friendly Subaru Dealership in the Nation, coordinated today’s event as part of the Subaru Loves the Earth initiative. “Planting trees is a small way to make a big impact and give these incredible kids something to care for and a day to remember for years to come”, said Peter Maher, owner of Mid Hudson Subaru. “We were honored to work side-by-side with these fifth graders today, and know they will grow up as strong as the trees they planted.”

“We are very grateful to Mid Hudson Subaru for the donation of these trees, which will provide shade, clean our air and water, reduce excessive heat, provide food and shelter for birds and improve the quality of life for all of us with their beauty,” said Chuck Thomas.

Release Courtesy of Heather Cottrell, Marketing and PR Manager, Mid Hudson Subaru