LEXINGTON, Ky. — Several Fayette County Public Schools participated in Tree Week 2023 this fall, hosting interactive educational activities that engaged students with the natural environment on their campuses.

Bluegrass Greensource, a Lexington-based environmental education organization, partnered with schools to deliver programming that connected students to the trees and green spaces around them. Activities across multiple school sites included tree identification lessons, leaf-matching games, root system demonstrations, and nature-based art projects.

Schools including Carnegie Center, Liberty Elementary, Northern Elementary and others hosted the educational events, which aligned with Kentucky's statewide Tree Week celebration coordinated by the University of Kentucky's Urban Forest Initiative. Lexington's Tree Week 2023 ran from October 6 through October 15, featuring a variety of free, family-friendly programming focused on urban forestry and environmental awareness.

Bluegrass Greensource has provided environmental education and community outreach to over 20 counties in Central Kentucky for two decades. The organization works extensively with schools to develop place-based learning experiences that engage students in understanding their local ecosystems.

The educational initiatives at Fayette County schools demonstrated how schools can integrate environmental learning into their curricula while celebrating the ecological and social-emotional benefits that trees provide to communities. These hands-on experiences help students develop an appreciation for urban forestry and environmental stewardship at an early age.