Cherry Blossom Tree Planting at Capitol Heights Elementary

As November drew to a chilly close, JASW staff joined with members from the National Cherry Blossom Festival committee to help plant three cherry blossom (sakura) trees at Capitol Heights Elementary School in Capitol Heights, Maryland. This is the second time JASW has sponsored cherry blossom tree planting through the NCBF in the greater Washington, DC area.

2nd graders learning the Japanese language at Capitol Heights Elementary helped plant the first tree by taking turns piling soil on top of the roots. Once the tree was firmly in the ground, the students named it Sakurako and took a commemorative group photo to remember their hard work. JASW also presented the students with two children’s  books – Eliza’s Cherry Trees and Yuki’s Journey – about the Japanese gift of cherry blossom trees to Washington, DC and the 3/11 earthquake, respectively.

We’re excited to see how these trees – and the others that have been planted throughout the area – will grow in the years to come, especially this coming spring!

If you’d like to follow JASW’s activities like this one in real time, please follow us on Twitter @jasw_dc. We are new to the Twittersphere and we’d love to have you follow us!