New plan brainstormed for the land in front of Building A

Facilities Manager Chris Kenney lays out his ideas for the land and previews other changes to come

Looking rather barren, the plot of land in front of Building A is protected by mulches. However, it seems like the land will lay bare for at least the rest of the school year. Photo by Yifei Wu.

unnamed — The fugus, flat-headed alder borers, sprawl on the bases of all ten of the alder trees. There were no immediate actions that could be taken to restore the trees back to health. Photo used with permission from Chris Kenney.

Out of the ten alder trees, only a few of them (the ones close to the front office) still have leaves. According to district arborist, they will be completely dead by year end. Photo used with the permission from Chris Kenney.

On Wednesday, April 15, the ten alder trees in front of Building A were cut down due to a type of fungus called flatheaded alder borer.

“There are no immediate actions that can return [the trees] to good health quickly,” Facilities Manager Chris Kenney said.

Out of the ten alder trees, six of them had lost all of their leaves. Some trees died due to a lack of water during the summer vacation, and all of the trees were affected with fungus and spores at the base.

“We don’t know why the trees caught the fungus,” Kenney explained. “Sometimes trees just catch [diseases] like that.”

On Wednesday, April 29, Principal April Scott discussed with the district architect about the other new projects that would take place at the school. The blueprint for the plot of land in front of Building A will likely be decided during the summer of 2015.

“Right now, it’s not one of our priorities,” Diane Goularte, Executive Assistant to the Principal, said.

However, Kenney has some ideas. He would like to plant some flame maples, trees that would change colors in different seasons, in the plot of land where the trees used to be. Kenney would also like to add some benches, so that students may rest and relax in the new garden. The money would come from the bond measures J & K, and construction can be expected to start during next school year.

“Right now we are in really, really early planning stages,” Kenney said.

Hover over the image to see other construction projects that will happen in the near future.