Perivale Primary School’s learners in Lotus River celebrated the importance of conserving trees during Arbor Week 2026 on Friday 4 September.
The school partnered with the non-profit organisation (NPO) Vision of Change South Africa (VCSA) to launch a sustainable tree-planting initiative.National Arbor Week in South Africa takes place annually from Tuesday 1 to Monday 7 September to promote environmental education and community greening.
VCSA is dedicated to promoting environmental protection, climate action and social justice through advocacy.
The project brought environmental education to life in the school grounds, driven by the passionate young members of the school’s Grade 4 and 5 Eco-Club.
The eco-focused organisation generously donated six indigenous trees to the school campus, according to school teacher Nicolene Langer.
The project was personally overseen by VCSA’s founding director, Margo Adonis, who guided the eager learners through the practical, hands-on process of planting and maintaining their new green additions.
She, according to Langer, shared critical ecological insights with the students, explaining the meticulous steps required to ensure a tree thrives after it is planted.
This practical experience created a direct link to the learners’ current Natural Sciences and Technology curriculum, translating abstract classroom theory into a tangible, long-term environmental service project.
Adonis also urged the children to think beyond the immediate future. She emphasised that a well-cared-for tree can live for decades, meaning the very specimens planted by the Eco-Club today could eventually provide vital shade, clean oxygen and environmental stability for their own children and future generations of Perivale learners.
The Eco-Club learners were invited to name each of the six new trees.
The learners selected imaginative names, including Lilly-Daisy, Clint Williams, Bingo and Emily, effectively adopting the plants as official, living members of the broader school community.
The collaborative event carried a profound historical link for the campus, due to a unique generational tie between the NPO and the institution.
The Executive Director of Vision of Change South Africa, Kim Williams, is the granddaughter of former Perivale principal Frank Goliath. This deep-rooted legacy added an emotional layer of community continuity to the ecological drive, demonstrating how the heritage of the school extends across generations.
Looking ahead, the green partnership is set to expand. Adonis has pledged to return to the campus periodically to inspect the growth of the newly anchored roots and monitor the students’ upkeep.
Furthermore, VCSA expressed long-term hopes of donating additional flora to the school in upcoming seasons to systematically expand the campus canopy. Langer added that the initiative had effectively transformed the Grade 4 and 5 learners into active environmental ambassadors.
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