Scranton High School students, city, school district leaders plant trees

SCRANTON — New trees on the Scranton High School campus will provide shade and beauty to the school grounds and surrounding community.

City and Scranton School District officials joined students to plant 10 native trees in front of the high school Monday afternoon.

City forester Anthony Santoli instructed students in Shamus McCormick’s Advanced Placement environmental science class how to plant the trees, showing them how to put it in a pre-dug hole, put dirt around the roots and pour bags of topsoil on top of the dirt. They were assisted by Superintendent Erin Keating, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent for Community Relations and Student/Staff Support Al O’Donnell and Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti.

Officials congratulated the 24 students when they planted their first tree before they broke into small groups to plant the others.

Seniors Sofia Pham and Declan Moran were among the students who helped plant the trees. It was the first time for both of them planting a tree, and they said they felt good doing so.

“It’s like we’re making a difference,” he said. “We’re adding to the environment of the school.”

Sofia said the trees add variety to the open space in front of the school.

“There’s not a lot of diversity in the landscaping here … so having all of that here is pretty good,” she said.

The trees planted at Scranton High School are among 150 trees being planted throughout the city this year — 75 in the spring and 75 in the fall. To purchase them, the city received a $37,500 grant from Tree Pennsylvania, a Harrisburg nonprofit that aims to plant trees in urban areas.

The city was among eight recipients to be awarded a grant from the nonprofit during its 2024-25 grant cycle.

The trees planted at Scranton High School are lilac, tulip and catalpa trees, purchased from Schichtel’s Nursery in upstate New York. The others include cherry, elm and maple trees and will be planted at city parks, including Connell Park, Darcy Park and Weston Park.

McCormick said he discussed planting trees with his colleagues for a few years but decided to plant them when city officials reached out to Principal John Coyle, informing him about the grant. He’s hopeful more trees will be added to the campus.

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Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti helps student Rocco Cipriano hold up a tree outside of Scranton High School in Monday, April 14, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

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Senior Ryan Prothero holds a tree as fellow students shovel dirt over the roots, while Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti looks on outside of Scranton High School Monday, April 14, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

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Scranton City Forester Anthony Santoli picks up a handful of top soil as he shows students how to plant a tree outside of Scranton High School Monday, April 14, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

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Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and City Forester Anthony Santoli work on cleaning up a tree that was planted outside of Scranton High School Monday, April 14, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

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Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti helps student Rocco Cipriano hold up a tree outside of Scranton High School in Monday, April 14, 2025. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

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“The more trees we have on this campus the the nicer the campus ends up looking in the long run,” McCormick said.

City Parks Director Steve Heintz said the lawn in front of the high school was an ideal location to plant the trees because it doesn’t have shade. The other trees will be planted in similar areas that lack shade.

He expects all the trees to reach heights of between 30 and 50 feet.

For Cognetti, seeing the trees planted reminded her of planting trees in front of her elementary school.

“These are memories that really do last, and they help you remember as you go through your life how important it is to take care of our environment,” she said.

Their location makes them visible to the public and the school community, Cognetti said.

Heintz hopes the trees will be enjoyed by future generations.

“I’m really grateful for our partnership with the school district, and I’m really excited as I hope the kids are as well,” he said. “When their kids are in high school, they’ll be able to come back and say that they planted these trees, and hopefully at that point they’ll be nice, big shade trees.”

A similar planting is scheduled to take place at West Scranton High School later this spring.