School’s Palm Trees Were Worth Saving

Should we be selling our school’s landscaping?

That’s what they’re doing at Nobel Middle School in the northwest San Fernando Valley. While the children were on their holiday break, men were digging up 30-year-old palm trees from the campus and hauling them off to the Palm Springs area. We were told that the person who takes care of the landscaping no longer can reach the topmost fronds with a 16-foot ladder, and that the city is unwilling to pay someone else to do the work. We were also told that the school will get close to $29,000 for the trees. If that figure is correct, that certainly is a lot of money, but we don’t think selling the trees is the right thing to do.

Thirty years ago, Nobel Junior High School was considered avant garde in architecture and landscaping in Southern California. Education dignitaries came from all over the nation to inspect its buildings and site. It was a credit to the school district and the neighborhood. Now, neglected and in need of paint and earthquake repairs, the last vestige of its former glory--outstanding plantings that gave beauty and character to its grounds--is lost.

The Nobel school grounds have constituted a peaceful and aesthetic environment conducive to learning. We believe this kind of environment is missing from some of the neighborhoods from which many attending children are bused. What kind of a message do we send to students when we ourselves take actions that amount to defacing our schools?

We try to teach children to value life and property, and we hope that they will develop a high appreciation for the beauty in art and nature. We ask our children to spend most of their day at school. The least we can do is to spend a few dollars and time on landscaping.

STEPHEN M. BAILEY

and DONNA M. BAILEY

Northridge