A new tree now graces the lawn in front of Open Door School. The tree planting was just one of the ways the students at the school celebrated Earth Day Thursday.

Stephanie Helms, education specialist from the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District, helped the students plant the tree and put flowers into pots in honor of Earth Day.

“We’re just trying to get them involved in recycling and we’re really excited that they wanted to do it,” Helms said.

Justin Wurtszler, a manager at Lowe’s in South Point provided the trees and flowers at cost for the school.

The students are also having a recycling contest. The winning team of the contest will receive a pizza party.

Kathy Conner, a teacher who organized the day’s events, said the students had been very excited to be recycling.

“They’ve been really, really good,” Conner said. “They’ve brought in all kinds of things. They’ve been really excited about it.”

The students also had relay races. Winners of the races got to take up tiny pine trees that were provided by the Lawrence County Soil and Water Conservation District.

This is the first year the school has had an Earth Day celebration this big, Conner said.

“I’m just really excited that we’re starting something like this at Open Door School,” she said. “I think a lot of them didn’t know what recycling was until we started teaching about it.”

She added that she hopes to make the Earth Day activities an annual event for the school.

“This is something we hope to have each year and add different things,” she said.

For Helms, the Open Door School is just one of the schools where she gets to teach the importance of caring for the Earth.

“Earth Day is always very busy with the schools,” she said.

The day is just a kick off for people to start beautification and cleaning projects.

“Everything dies down in the winter, and (in the spring) everyone seems to be really interested in doing their part to clean up the community.”