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On Friday, North ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Middle School's outside space became Emily Statham's classroom.

And Arbor Day was the perfect hands-on lesson for the teacher's grade 8 agriculture students who, with guidance from community partners, worked to not just beautify the school's property but also support the urban ecosystem through tree planting.

The environmental education - which also included learning about the maple syrup process and tree aging - was followed by a news conference attended by the ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú's Assistant Superintentendent for Secondary Instruction Lori McKenna, City of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Arborist Jay Lavigne, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Fund For Education's Mari Shopsis and representatives from ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú’s Department of General Services, New York State Department of Conservation, ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Goes Green and ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

Volunteers from the local and state organizations helped students plant 40 trees that will complement current classroom learning and also be incorporated into future curriculum.

"The City Schoool District of ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú prioritizes hands-on science and Arbor Day provided a perfect opportunity to enhance our students' studies," explained North ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Principal Andrea Piper.

Since 2009, district students have planted more than 400 trees in annual ÍÃ×ÓÏÈÉú Goes Green Arbor Day celebrations, along with olbany Fund for Education, at schools and on other public city land.

"The wonderful event usually occurs at the elementary level but it’s our hope that the knowledge our middle schoolers gained from this wonderful event will inspire them to choose a college or career path based on what they learned here today," said McKenna.

In New York State, Arbor Day is typically observed on the last day of April