LISLE, Ill. (April 25, 2025)—Students at Ted Lenart Regional Gifted Center celebrated Arbor Day by planting 15 trees throughout their West Chatham Chicago Public School campus this morning alongside a team of arborists from The Morton Arboretum. Each class planted its own tree, including native species such as white oaks—the Illinois state tree—along with shingle oak, river birch, red buckeye and five other tree species.
Led by the Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI), the tree planting aimed to inspire children around the value of trees, environmental responsibility and the power of collective action. Arboretum President and CEO Jill Koski spoke to the students and helped them plant the trees.
“Planting these trees matters,” Koski said in her remarks to students before the tree plantings began. “The trees you plant today will grow for decades, maybe even a century. They will provide shade for students in the future, improve air quality and make your school a greener place to learn. These trees will stand as a reminder of the impact you made.”
CRTI is the Arboretum’s urban and community forestry program, working to improve the health, diversity and equitable distribution of trees in the Chicago region and throughout Illinois. CRTI partners with and facilitates collaboration among more than 500 organizations in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to inspire tree stewards and build municipal capacity and support for trees with a focus on environmental equity and disadvantaged communities. It is the largest statewide urban and community forestry initiative in the country.
“Planting trees is a fantastic way to celebrate Arbor Day,” said Chicago Region Trees Initiative Director Zach Wirtz. “It’s also a great time to help people learn how to grow trees in ways that enhance the environment.”
Why Arbor Day Matters
Founded in 1922 by Joy Morton, The Morton Arboretum has been working to collect, protect and care for trees for more than a century. Morton came from a family that founded Arbor Day in Nebraska in 1872, and the family motto “Plant trees” influenced his vision for an arboretum.
Trees do far more than beautify our surroundings—they are crucial for cleaner air, better water quality and stronger ecosystems. For students, trees provide shade for play and learning, reduce air pollution and create peaceful, inspiring outdoor environments. In the broader community, trees help mitigate climate change, reduce stormwater runoff and boost mental well-being.
“Lenart Regional Gifted Center spans an entire city block, providing us an unique opportunity to transform our extensive green space into a resource for both our students and the Chatham neighborhood, which currently has only 20% tree canopy,” said Kim Smolen, an English Language Arts teacher at Lenart Regional Gifted Center and the school organizer of the event. “Through this event, our students learn the vital role trees play in improving air and water quality, providing shade for our building and playground, and reducing urban heat. In turn, we hope through these experiences that they will grow into thoughtful, responsible environmental stewards.”
In addition to the Lenart Elementary School event, CRTI planted 20 trees Friday with students at Northbrook’s Shabonee Elementary School, among other Arbor Day activities across the Chicago region. The Arboretum also marks Arbor Day by hosting its annual Arbor Day Plant Sale, April 24 through 26.