Project Canopy

The trees for Coral Gables High School were planted on February 9th, 2021. We were warmly greeted by Assistant Principal Curtis, Coach Romero, and Principal Ullivarri.  The Mahogany trees planted are south Florida natives; they grow fast and perfect for areas prone to hurricanes.   It was a morning full of surprises; we even learned some fascinating facts about what lies beneath the field. Garden club members Pat Keon, President Judy Mangasarian, Betsy Tilghman, Susan Rodriguez, and Julie Connor, a past CGHS PTA President, had a chance to meet the enthusiastic students from the Earth and Media clubs, who were grateful for our gift of trees.  Abel and Nelson's installer team once again did a seamless job of planting these trees, which will provide some much-needed shade for the kids on their athletic fields.

Our tree plantings continue at George Washington Carver Middle School.

G.W. Carver Middle School was the recipient of a native and pollinator garden on Saturday, January 16th, 2021.

 Treemendous Miami’s crew of ten volunteers planted a beautiful native and pollinator garden in honor of Sallye Jude for Project Canopy. Native pines, saw palmetto, wild coffee, red and white stoppers, Simpson stoppers, pigeon plum, gumbo limbo,  firebush, black ironwood are just a few of many plants and trees planted on the S.W. corner of G.W. Carver's campus. 

 It was an impressive effort and the garden is lovely.  It will be used to educate the students on the benefits of using native plants and especially those which aid pollinators.  Many thanks go to Steve Pearson for organizing this on our behalf!

On Dec. 4th, 2020, we planted trees at Ponce De Leon Middle School and Henry S. West Lab K-8.  

Early Friday morning, three large, beautiful Live Oak trees were delivered to Ponce De Leon Middle School, as Principal Herb Penton greeted our members and the truck carrying the trees. Bordering the school’s basketball courts, the installation was seamless thanks to Abel and his assistant Nelson. How heartwarming it was to receive thanks from attending students and staff.

Henry S. West Lab K-8 was next. We were enthusiastically greeted by members of the school’s PTO, Ana Azpúrua Knoll, Maria Martínez, Principal Barbara Pujades-Soto, the teachers, and charming little students of two kindergarten classes.  They all were delighted with their new Cassia Bakeriana trees, and the children especially loved watching the big truck and auger digging the three large holes. We were impressed with how the teachers embraced this planting as an important and fun learning experience for their small charges.

Project Canopy is the club’s ambitious new initiative to plant native and flowering trees at all the public schools in the City of Coral Gables.  With each school's commitment, this project encourages our youth to be stewards of the earth and good gardeners, tending and watering their young trees.