Lake Havasu Students Celebrate Age-Old Tree-Planting Celebration

It’s good to know that some traditions last for centuries.

Arbor Day is one of the oldest international holidays that continues to be celebrated worldwide.

The first recorded celebration of Arbor Day was in the Spanish town of Mondoñedo in 1594.

Lake Havasu City students celebrated this age-old tradition by planting trees and shrubs Thursday and Friday.

Smoketree Elementary students plant a tree on the Island Thursday. Jillian Danielson/RiverScene

Thursday, sixth-grade students from Smoketree Elementary School planted trees and shrubs on the Island.

“Today we are planting 29 trees, 23 shrubs and six cactus for Arbor Day with the sixth-grade Smoketree Elementary energetic kids. Friday, we’ll be planting approximately 25 trees with Havasupai third-grade students,” said Lake Havasu City Operations Department maintenance lead Karly Osowski.

Smoketree sixth-grader Given Rugh said he was having fun.

“I’m in sixth grade and planting trees is important ‘cause it gives the earth oxygen and like I don’t know really that much about trees but it gives us oxygen. I’ve never planted trees and it’s really fun,” Rugh said.