Ascent Classical Academy students plant 3,500 trees for eco-week

Students from Ascent Classical Academy in Timnath are helping plant 3,500 trees at Colorado Youth Outdoors in celebration of eco-week, a week dedicated to helping build and protect the environment. The students, ages 12 and up, spent their school day helping plant thousands of trees along I-25 near Fort Collins.  

"Just to get outdoors and do active stuff is always great," said Garrett Johnson, a seventh grader at Ascent.  

Colorado Youth Outdoors is an organization that operates a 200-acre property at the southeast corner of I-25 and Harmony Road near Fort Collins. CYO helps youth and adults build relationships with each other and the outdoors.  

Bob Hewson, CEO of CYO, said the property recently lost more than 600 trees as a result of the I-25 expansion project. By partnering with their nearest school, Ascent, they could not only replace those trees but also plant many more for an upcoming fundraising project.  

"Planting trees in general makes me really happy, same with my friends. You're more with nature and it makes you feel really happy all of a sudden," said Hannah Huska, a seventh grader. "I think it is probably one of the best things I'll ever do." 

A team of regular volunteers at CYO spent their day not only setting up for the tree project, but more importantly investing their time in teaching the students how to best plant the trees to assure they survive and grow. Students learned about how far to keep the trees from each other so they can grow, how far down to dig holes to plant the trees and even how much mulch to use to assure the plants retain water.  

"I didn't know you use mulch so you wouldn't have to water them as much," Johnson said.  

"A lot of people have put hard work into this, and eventually these trees will grow up really big," Huska said.  

Ascent is a charter school that attracts students from across Larimer and Weld counties. Many of the students, from kindergarten to seniors in high school, will travel past the trees every day on their way to and from school. 

"I think this is a perfect opportunity for them to see they can be part of that solution, and they get to grow with that solution," Hewson said. "To really dial it in it is about getting your hands dirty, being in the field with the plants that are really part of the answer of some of these complex decisions we have to make." 

The goal for the 3,500 trees is that in 10 years they will be sold as part of CYO's annual holiday fundraiser and used as Christmas trees. The money from the sales will go toward planting new trees and funding CYO's activities.  

"It is going to be a super cool experience looking at these trees as I'm going on the freeway to school," Johnson said. "It is awesome. Just get to be in the outdoor planting trees, it is a pretty fun day." 

Students were treated to lunch and were also given the chance to shoot bow and arrows for fun.