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Program honors schools that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to nature-based education
September 21, 2022~Bragg Elementary School, located in Cerritos, CA, is one of 70 elementary, middle, and high schools across the United States to earn recognition through the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus K-12 program.
The Arbor Day Foundation is the largest membership nonprofit organization dedicated to tree planting. Its Tree Campus K-12 program, launched last year, encourages educators to create meaningful opportunities for students to interact with trees.
“Spending time in nature sparks children’s imaginations, improves their mental and physical health, and shapes them into lifelong environmental stewards,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “We are thrilled to see schools like Bragg Elementary lead the way in this important work.”
To earn this distinction, Bragg Elementary met four goals:
“I’m so proud that our school was recognized for our work on the environment,” said Principal Jeff Heilig. “Our students, led by our Green Team, have worked hard to make our campus greener, and their leadership in planting trees has made a lasting impact at our school.”
The recognized schools span 31 states. In the first year of the program, more than 15,000 students participated in an Arbor Day celebration, and nearly 30,000 trees were planted.
Other Arbor Day Foundation recognition programs include Tree City USA, Tree Campus Higher Education, and Tree Campus Healthcare. Working together, the four programs celebrate tree planting efforts at nearly every community level.
To learn more and see the full list of recognized schools, visit arborday.org/K12.
About the ABC Unified School District
In 1965 the Artesia, Bloomfield, and Carmenita School Districts unified and became the ABC Unified School District. Today, the District serves about 30,000 Pre-K to 12th Grade and adult education students through its 31 schools. It serves the cities of Artesia, Cerritos, Hawaiian Gardens, and portions of Lakewood, Long Beach, and Norwalk.
About the Arbor Day Foundation
Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has grown to become the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters and valued partners. Since 1972, almost 500 million Arbor Day Foundation trees have been planted in neighborhoods, communities, cities and forests throughout the world. Our vision is to lead toward a world where trees are used to solve issues critical to survival.
As one of the world’s largest operating conservation foundations, the Arbor Day Foundation, through its members, partners, and programs, educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe to involve themselves in its mission of planting, nurturing, and celebrating trees. More information is available at arborday.org.
