Overton Elementary third and fourth graders wrote ‘poet-tree’ April 12 during their Earth Day celebration with the guidance of Amanda Lanier, program coordinator for the Center for the Environment at Catawba College, and Center volunteer Debbie Stephens.
Lanier instructed the students in different kinds of poetry and encouraged them to think about their favorite kind of tree, their experiences with trees and trees’ relationship with people. The classes were held on the Salisbury Greenway near their school.
The result was haikus and acrostic poems that celebrated trees. One student said she liked trees more than her Wii video game system. Another wrote about trees’ producing oxygen for people to breathe.
A total of 160 of the poems will be on display at the Center for the Environment facility on the Catawba campus until May 1.
The Rowan Master Gardeners and representatives from Dan Nicholas Park and Rowan County’s Recycling Program also worked with the Overton students during their Earth Day celebration.