This past Friday was Arbor Day, and it was great to see that our young people pitched in to help plant trees.

That morning, students at West Bainbridge Elementary School got to participate in the planting of trees at the Zorn Road campus. Each grade had its own tree, and the students watched and helped as the trees were planted in the ground.

Also, later Friday afternoon, students with the Decatur County 4-H planted trees at the county fairgrounds off Vada Road.

We applaud the young people for their effort, and also express our thanks to the many organizations and volunteers that made the tree-plantings possible. Some of those groups that contributed included the Georgia Forestry Commission, Decatur County Cooperative Extension Service, Keep Decatur County Beautiful, the city government of Bainbridge, and the Decatur County Schools.

Planting a tree is a proactive way to not only help the environment, but also improve the appearance of our schools. We think it’s a great lesson for our kids, and hope it’s one they continue to practice as they grow older.