CHICO — When naming a newly planted Red-Push Pistache tree, the name Juniper might not immediately seem fitting — but this was a special occasion.
The city of Chico and Parkview Elementary School team up each year to plant new trees on the campus celebrating both Arbor Day and the graduating fifth-grade classes. This year, fifth-grade teacher Emily Akimoto’s class opted to name their tree after the instructor’s new baby, Juniper.
“I gave the kids a form to fill out with tree name ideas and a bunch of the kids did Juniper and when we put them all up for a vote Juniper got the most votes,” Akimoto said. “The kids voted that they wanted to name it after my daughter which was really, really sweet.”
Juniper herself attended the event on Friday and saw her tree just before settling in for a nap.
“This is a Parkview tradition,” Akimoto said. “This is my first year at Parkview and we were told that the fifth grade classes always plant a tree to honor their legacy here at the school. So we were really excited when we found out that we got to do this.”
Chico Urban Forest Manager Richie Bamlet is no stranger to the event. Before planting the tree, he and Bidwell Park and Playground Commissioner Nichole Nava conducted a tree quiz and gave students with the correct answers prizes. Students enthusiastically raised their hands, glad to share their knowledge.
“It’s their lasting legacy from their school careers at their elementary school,” Bamlet said.
Chico is designated a tree city and manages 35,200 trees. Friday’s event marked the city’s 40th anniversary of having this designation. Bamlet said the Chico Unified School District will look after those planted on the campus.
Standing on the campus’s field and looking around, trees could be seen at various points of their growth cycles from classes in the past. Some are still small, such as those planted on Friday, and some are fully grown, providing significant shade on a sunny day.
A crew on the scene helped lower the first tree, Juniper, into the ground as students were able to place the worms beneath the roots and then push the soil onto the base. Emily Roberts said she was honored to be part of the event.
“This is important to me because everyone who goes here will be able to see the tree that we planted when we were in fifth grade,” Roberts said. “(The ceremony) was really fun. It was nice to plant the tree before we go to junior high.”
Jackson Cowee shared Roberts’ eagerness for the yearly ritual.
“I’m happy that I’m part of this and that it’s going to grow up big and tall like these other trees,” Cowee said. “Someday, I’m probably going to be like 40 years old, but someday this one will be huge and hopefully will still have the nametag on it.”
The project is funded through the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and is part of the city’s Seed to Shade program. A total of four trees were planted at the elementary school during Friday’s event.
