SHAKER LIFE | SPRING 2014 5
Shaker
Online
Living in the
Urban Forest
A Cause for
Celebration:
Arbor Day in Shaker
From the majestic maple to the
giant oak, trees are one of Shaker’s
most awe inspiring and notable assets.
For 29 consecutive years, the city has
been designated a Tree City USA by
the National Arbor Day Foundation. It
should come as no surprise that Arbor
Day is cause for celebration in this town.
In 2001, the City marked Arbor
Day with a festival held in Southerly
Park. On a rotating basis, teachers and
students from one Shaker elementary
school are invited to plan the celebration
and take part in the planting of a tree,
usually a magnolia in the park. This year
students from Lomond Elementary
School do the honors in late April.
Past ceremonies have included
poems, songs, posters, and even
dance performances. The ceremony
ends with the planting of the Arbor
Day tree. Each tree is marked with a
wooden post and a plaque indicating
the year it was planted, the type of
tree, and the school that planted it.
In addition to the ceremony,
Shaker students in grades 3-12 are
invited to create a tree-themed poster
or poem for the annual Arbor Day
contest sponsored by the Tree Advisory
Board and the Shaker Library. Prizes
are awarded. For information on the
contest, contact Margaret Simon at
216-991-2030 or margaret.simon@
shakerlibrary.org.
Where a single magnolia tree
was originally planted 14 years ago, a
grove has taken root. The annual Arbor
Day celebration provides a hands-on
learning opportunity for Shaker
students. They learn to appreciate
and understand the importance of
trees, which grow and beautify their
community. Shaker students can be
proud of what they helped to create.
To learn more about Shaker’s
urban forest, sign up for the
TREENews at http://bit.ly/
ShakerHtsENews. It will be emailed
four times per year. Also, check out
the newly enhanced tree information
in the Forestry and Tree Advisory
Board sections at shakeronline.com/
departments/public-works. SL