Weather creates inventive tree planting ceremony

Published 7:35 am Saturday, May 1, 2021

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By Dawn Burleigh

Rain may have prevented a tree rom being planted but it did not stop the children at Presbyterian Day School from enjoying the symbolism of the event.

Due to the weather, the event was moved indoors and a tree ready for planting was on display for the children to see.

“Hurricane Laura damaged one of the larger trees and it had to be removed. This will be a replacement for that tree and the children will have the opportunity to nurture it and watch it grown, much the way Christ does for us,” Kathy Moore said.

Pauline Hardgrove told the students that from the beginning, the church wanted to start a Day School.

“May 1, 1948, it happened,” Hargrove said. “A beautiful home was once here and was used as a school. It was three stories tall. The Brown family donated it to the church. It was a beautiful home that eventually had to be demolished and a new building where you go to school today was built. In 1958, the Gillespie Building was built.”

Kerrie Norwood, a mother of one of the teachers at the Day School, took care of the tree until it was strong enough to be planted.

The tree is to replace a tree lost during Hurricane Laura.

“We have remained open for over 70 years,” Director of the day school Mindi Vandervoort said. “We ran a school safely through a pandemic. We are replacing a tree lost during Hurricane Laura so it like the school can keep growing and keep going.”