CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — About 30 young, new trees line the pathway towards Oakland Elementary School thanks to two Girl Scouts.
"Well, it all started with me because them cutting down trees really bothered me," explained 11-year-old Aurora Kangas.
Years ago, Aurora and 9-year-old Diana noticed that Clarksville's growth, and new apartments in the city, also sometimes meant sacrificing nature.
"Aurora said, 'What can we do?' And I said, 'What can we do?' So, we started brainstorming and researching," said Aurora's grandmother and troop leader, Tere Kangas.
They found they could try to make their school a "Tree Campus USA" through the Arbor Day Foundation by replanting trees and educating their classmates.
After months of hard work, and lots of help from the school and local organizations, Aurora and Diana achieved their goal: cultivating several trees on campus and planting even more seedlings for families to adopt and take home.
Because of the success of the sustainability project, the two earned a Bronze Award, the highest Girl Scouts award for their age level.
"I think it's good because it shows students at schools that trees are really important," said Diana. "And also trees give a lot of shelter for birds!"
"These girls have put in just so many hours and so much work on getting this 'Tree Campus USA' for the elementary school," added Tere. "Which is only the second in Middle Tennessee and the fourth elementary school in all of Tennessee to receive this designation."
Tere said we can all take a page out of their book.
"No matter how young they are, kids can always make a difference. Listen to them," she said.
You can learn more about making your own campus a "Tree Campus USA" by visiting the Arbor Day Foundation website.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
You never know what impact you can have on others — Patsy Montesinos brings us that reminder with a story featuring some very familiar faces. Enjoy this story and go vote for Shante!
- Carrie Sharp
