Lessons in citizenship

PALMER -- Vandalism hit Palmer High School just before Christmas; a seven-foot Colorado Blue Spruce was chopped down in the school's newly landscaped side entrance. A 2-foot stump sits now, waiting to be replaced, and the Palmer High Parent Teacher Organization that landscaped the entrance last summer as a part of school beautification is upset, but dealing with it.

"We know it's just a few people, and it makes a bad name for teens in general," said PTO president Ann Knobbe. "We can't let a few people ruin a good thing."

Meanwhile, within the school, teachers have been working on creating an honor code that will be distributed in the school next fall, setting steadfast guidelines for what is and isn't acceptable, especially in the realm of plagiarism off the Internet and homework sharing.

With one less tree, which will cost around $700 to replace, nested in the two entrances at Palmer High, the PTO and the Palmer High staff came to the realization that the honor code needed to address more than just academic integrity. It seems that some students need to have a clear-cut explanation of what is expected of them on a personal level as well.

"When the tree was cut down, we said 'we need to broaden this,'" Knobbe said. "There needs to be a code for the student-citizen."

This, Knobbe said, doesn't just apply to those who cut down the tree. This also applies to anyone who may have heard details about the vandalism and has yet to come forward.

"We're trying to get it out to students that if they know something, the honorable and right thing to do is to come forward and tell someone," Knobbe said. Either a tip to the principal, or a phone call to Palmer Police Department, who handled the case, would help, she said.

Knobbe said that, at first, the PTO was reluctant about even bringing up the issue of the tree vandalism; they were afraid that making a big deal out of the it might backfire.

"We thought about putting it out to the community [right after it happened], but we didn't want to make a big deal about it because we were afraid that vandals may cut more trees," Knobbe said. "Now that Christmas break has passed, we want to start a campaign this spring to replace the tree."

This is the second time vandals have struck the newly landscaped areas. Last fall, someone on a four-wheeler whipped 'donuts' -- fast circles done on the machine that cause deep indentations in the ground -- and rammed the machine into a 8-foot green spruce tree. Knobbe said they are watching the tree closely, and that if it dies, the PTO will try to replace it as well.

"We're not going to let a few bad apples defer us from making this school a respectable place for our kids to learn," she said.

The PTO is in the planning stages of a campaign to raise funds. One idea is to ask each student to donate one dollar in order to replace the cut tree. This, Knobbe said, would not only allow the tree to be replaced, but she hopes will also instill some sense of pride into the project that parents, with the help of some students, have put so much time and effort into.

"We really are trying to show community service to the students," Knobbe said. "We are trying to get the students to help us with the projects."

The PTO is planning on landscaping another area, this time in front of the school, this spring in time for graduation. Plans for a new concession stand are also in the works; Knobbe says that Hall Quality Homes is helping with the design and that there will be a 'concession' raising later this year. Knobbe says that she particularly likes the outdoor projects the PTO is involved with, it seems that 'more dads with their toys' come out and help when there is dirt to be moved, and that students seeing both parents involved at the school is an extra plus.

The initial beautification project, funded by a $5,500 grant from the borough and another $2,000 raised by the PTO, would have cost around $25,000 if it had not been for generous donations from the community, Knobbe estimated. It may be impossible to replace the damaged tree with another large evergreen, she said, because usually the bigger trees are planted first and then the rest of the trees are planted around it. The three landscaped areas now have a total of four large trees and numerous smaller trees surrounding them; the areas are landscaped with gravel, grass, flowers and large rocks, and are surrounded by split rail fences.