Students across the country created posters for a competition at each school. Fifth grader Elena Pierson from Ms. Elizabeth Missal’s class at ANLC was their school’s winner. She has attended ANLC since kindergarten and has two brothers who also attend ANLC.
       Elena says her favorite school subjects are art and P.E., not surprising, since she has been involved in competitive gymnastics for several years.
       After being the grand prize winner at ANLC, Elena’s poster then went on to compete with all other schools’ winners from across the entire state of Arizona. Elena was recognized as the winner to represent all of Arizona. She was recognized for her achievement at a state ceremony on March 21, 2007 at the State Capitol.
       Each state has its own Arbor Day and March 21 is when Arizona celebrates the wonder of trees in our world. Elena’s poster goes on to compete nationally among all other states’ first place winners. The national prize winning student’s name will be announced April 2, 2008.
National Arbor Day had its beginning in Nebraska in the 1800s, when there was a lack of trees in that state. A man named Julius Sterling Morton left Detroit and moved to the Nebraska Territory in 1854.
       He and his wife loved nature and their new pioneer home in Nebraska was soon filled with trees, shrubs and flowers. Morton soon became editor of Nebraska’s first newspaper.
       He used his position to spread his enthusiasm for trees along with information on how trees were needed as windbreaks to stop soil erosion, for fuel and building materials, along with their beauty and shade.
       Morton encouraged not only individuals, but also civic groups and other organizations to plant trees. He later became secretary of the Nebraska Territory
and in 1872, Morton proposed a treeplanting holiday. The date was set for
April 10, 1872 and prizes were offered for those who planted the most trees. Estimates say more than one million trees were planted on that single day. Several years later the state changed Nebraska’s Arbor Day to be permanently recognized on April 22, Morton’s birthday.
       During the 1870s, other states passed legislation to observe Arbor Day, and today the most common date is the last Friday in April, which was also designated National Arbor Day in 1970 by President Richard Nixon.
       Arizona’s Arbor Day is the third Friday in March to coincide with that period being the best time for tree planting in our state. The event has now spread outside of our country and is observed in many other places across the world.

E-mail Tracy at: tracywerth@cox.net

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