Smith 'Green Team' Gets One Back in Lieu of Development

New homes occupy land across the street from Smith Middle School, where students like Shreeja Kannan, Chelsea Maxwell and Daanyal Syed used to get a first-hand lesson in earth science.

Many trees have been cut down from the woods on Donaldson Drive in the past school year, said Smith eighth-grade teacher and "Green Team" advisor Nancy Klein. In response, the team has stepped up its fundraising efforts and worked to beautify the school grounds, receiving recognition from the Michigan Arbor Day Alliance (MADA) on Monday.

"It was really dense and really nice. It was really sad that they were building houses in place of those trees that were cut down. ... I get that people need housing, but people also need trees," said Kannan, an eighth-grade student.

The Green Team at Smith won the 2013 Go Green Youth Challenge from MADA, which is a group of organizations and agencies promoting environmental education in the state. Fundraisers were put on by the Green Team, which meets weekly to discuss environmental issues, with proceeds going to support MADA.

MADA rewarded Smith with an American Hornbeam tree, which was planted on the school's southeast side. The Green Team isn't stopping with trees, however—its current projects include a community garden, which recently yielded a crop of tasty fruits and vegetables.