ALLENTOWN, Pa - In 2016, Maribel Robayo was a freshman at Building 21 High School.
The school had just opened up, and she was one of its first students. Searching for inspiration, she proposed they plant a dozen trees.
- Building 21 High School was recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation as a K-12 Tree Campus
- The project was started eight years ago by Maribel Robayo, who proposed the school plant a dozen trees
- Trees provide environmental, economic and social benefits to the community
Today, almost eight years later, she's a manager of a Walmart warehouse. But she came back to the school to hoist a flag from the National Arbor Day Foundation, to recognize the school's new status as a 2022 Tree Campus.
Though the idea may seem simple, Robayo actually had many reasons for wanting to plant trees. Her gym class was outside, and it would get scorching hot on days without cloud cover. It was also a way to show the school off.
“People didn’t know what we were,” she said.
Her intent was to force people to notice the school in a positive light, so "their kids could then come here in the future.”
Studies show that in addition to the environmental benefits of trees, there are also social and economic ones. The more trees in a community, the less crime, and the higher the property value.
The Lehigh County Conservation District heard pitches for environmental projects from many students, but they liked Robayo’s the best. They gave funding and trees for students to plant, with help from the public works department.
“Mother nature is planned here. It doesn’t just happen by accident.”Shannon Salter, partnership coordinator at Building 21 High School
“Nature and people have to work together in a city environment,” said Shannon Salter, a former social studies teacher and partnership coordinator at Building 21.
“Mother nature is planned here. It doesn’t just happen by accident.”
She said “I’m proud that every time Maribel drives by, she gets to see her impact on our school just growing and growing and growing.”