Sustainability Spotlight: Vandegrift High School
by Katherine Abel
Hi! My name is Katherine Abel and I’m a senior at Vandegrift High School. I’ve worked with the City of Austin Youth Forest Council since June 2023, both as an intern and as a fellow. For my Community Action Project (CAP), I chose to plant trees at my campus as part of a beautification effort to encourage people to get outside and build a better sense of community. To cover the cost of the trees and supplies, I applied for and received a $3,000 Bright Green Futures Grant for School-Based Sustainability Projects.
2023-2024
Planting trees turned out to be a two-year process. The majority of the first year was spent emailing with school administration to flesh out the details of the project and work through the logistics.
I first reached out to my school’s administration to see if they were interested in my idea and was able to connect with one of my school's assistant principals who supported the project. He introduced me to the grounds and maintenance personnel for the district because I needed their approval to plant the trees.
Over the course of the year, I navigated site changes, processing delays, and irrigation concerns. With the exception of the irrigation issue, I was able to work through them all by being persistent. Tree planting season in Texas lasts from roughly October to March, and with April quickly approaching, I had to cancel the first planting date.
Because things didn’t go exactly as planned, I wasn't able to finish the project that first year, but I was proud of my work and knew I’d find a way to plant the trees in the fall.
2024-2025
After spending a second summer with YFC, I started the school year excited to finish my CAP. I had sourced trees and supplies, and organized National Honor Society (NHS) volunteers. With the help of my mentors at YFC, I came up with a temporary irrigation system that I could complete on my own without needing the help of the school district. I set a date in October to host the planting and got to work contacting the grant organization to process the funds.
There was one final problem: I couldn’t access the grant funds because of where my planting fell in the city budget cycle. Sustainability work is all about persistence, though. I rescheduled the planting once more, this time for mid-December.
Planting day finally arrived. With the help of friends and NHS volunteers, I planted three trees in the school courtyard: two Monterrey Oaks and one Texas Redbud. We covered their roots with mulch, leveled them, and then cleaned up. I returned a few days later and added the irrigation bags. After a year and a half, the project was finished---and self-sustaining!
The trees have continued to grow over the spring months and are doing very well. I also recently finished adding three barrels of spring flowers to further beautify the campus.
Someone once told me that the actual planting is the easy part, and I would have to agree. The difficulty with sustainability comes down to outreach and connections. To anyone looking to complete a project like this in future, I would say three things: start early, stay flexible, and when all else fails, persist!
This information is sponsored by the City of Austin. Learn more about trees and resources at the Tree Information Center!
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