Hands on

Cameras flashed everywhere to catch the students’ fluid-and-rhythmic movements. Southside Elementary School’s Arbor Day celebration got a little wild and crazy as 120 first-graders performed the “Dance of the Trees,” by swaying, jumping and throwing their hands into the air.

The students gathered with teachers, parents and city of Sarasota staff members beneath the school’s pavilion Friday, April 24, to listen as Commissioner Suzanne Atwell read the Arbor Day proclamation. During the program, students learned the history of Arbor Day and had the opportunity to show off as they answered questions asked by Todd Kucharski, public works general manager.

The celebration also recognized teachers and student artists before the culmination of the main event — the tree planting. The first-graders raced around the trees with shovels and wheelbarrows, using their hands to cover the roots of the newly planted trees with mounds of dirt.

Every student left school with a young tree, courtesy of Carlson Studio Marketing and Carlson Studio Architecture.