HOWELL – After a tornado damaged the grounds of Aldrich Elementary School, district staff are using this as an opportunity to turn a disaster into an environmental lesson.
In April, a tornado with winds as high as 120 mph struck the Aldrich area of Howell Township, which included Aldrich Elementary School.
Aldrich School Principal Andrew Smith explained the storm had destroyed parts of the school grounds and even parts of the building.
“The tornado hit the hillside in the back right corner of the school. The fence was completely gone. Many trees on one side of the fence were gone,” Smith said. “The tornado came through the hillside, towards the building, but veered off and ended up near the ShopRite on Route 9.”
“Our solar panels were torn off, some windows broken. A lot of trees were torn down from the tornado,” Smith added.
On October 13, the school teamed up with FirstEnergy, Howell Shade Tree Commission, and the Monmouth County Master Gardeners to plant trees and refurbish the hillside that was affected by the tornado.
The event is split up into three different phases. Phase One is the tree planting on the hill. Phase Two will be planting trees alongside the back parking lot, and Phase Three will be creating a pollinator garden. Phases Two and Three are scheduled to take place in spring 2024.
During the tree planning, teacher Ms. Khouzam brought her 4th grade class outside to learn how the tornado impacted the school and why it’s important to plant new trees. Each 4th grade student received a sapling from FirstEnergy to take home and plant themselves.
Lisa Doud from the Howell Shade Tree Commission was also there providing a lesson on the different types of trees that will be planted.
“The reason why we thought 4th graders should receive the saplings is that they were here last year and saw the effects of the tornado. It’s a little bit of a learning lesson for them; to replenish the trees. That’s what you do for the good of the environment. We hope they take the saplings home to replant,” Smith said.
FirstEnergy funded and donated the 12 trees that were planted to replace the mature trees that were lost from the storm. They also donated the 100 saplings going home with students and will return in the spring to help with the pollinator garden.
“April’s tornadoes were obviously very destructive and our crews were working around the clock to restore customers. But for us, restoration isn’t just the power, we’re committed to the environment,” Chris Hoening of FirstEnergy said. “When we have a situation like this, there’s a lot of tree damage as a result of the storm that came through. To be able to come out here and help donate and plant new trees, help rebuild the environment, it’s a core value at JCP&L and First Energy. We’re happy to be a part of it.”
“This is a rather small planting, but in total we will plant about 3,500 tree this year in New Jersey. It’s a small one, but anything to help rebuild the environment after a storm,” Hoening added.
“We’re very thankful to First Energy, the Howell Shade Tree Commission, and our own staff member Ms. Khouzam who combined their efforts. There was a need and a teaching lesson for the students. It’s really important that they can see what it takes for the environment to regrow, and replenish. It takes great citizens and volunteers that you see here today to help this all come true. We’re very appreciative of it,” Smith said.
