Northwood, being the early bird, celebrated Arbor Day on Friday. Northwood’s Environmental Club learners together planted the tree of the year, the Jacket Plum (Pappea capensis). The tree which belongs to the litchi family is evergreen and grows up to 8 metres – hoping to provide shade at the midday break. The red tasty fruit are edible to both animals and to the boys of Northwood. Moreover the tree has medicinal properties which can be used for nose bleed, baldness and ringworm treatment. The tree has a sweet scent attracting game and has been used in the production of soap, preservation of jams and jellies. Arbor Day celebrations will continue at Northwood on Monday with Justin Govender bringing about an awareness of the importance of the preservation of our flora and the ripple effect it has on our fauna. Learners will also be encouraged to continue to recycle paper at the school which is an ongoing project to sustain our biodiversity.