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A new green space began to take shape at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 20. Over 170 volunteers gathered to plant the final trees needed to qualify the school as California’s first accredited arboretum on a K-12 public school campus.
The Los Robles Arboretum will feature nearly 100 trees of at least 25 unique species, including ginko, Saratoga Bay laurels, Chilean pepper trees, trident maples, Chinese pistache and more.
“[The arboretum] was planted by residents of East Palo Alto, by students, teacher and parents. It was born from them. It creates this amazing sense of belonging,” said Jean-Paul Renaud, executive director of Canopy, the community forestry nonprofit which hosted the event alongside the Ravenswood City School District.
The Arbnet-accredited arboretum will be open to the general public during at least one community event a year and be governed by a body of Los Robles school community members, according to a press release from Canopy.
The tree planting project was funded by CalFIRE’s Green Schoolyards grant which Ravenswood applied for in partnership with Canopy.
The district is in the midst of major facilities upgrades ($200 million worth of, according to the press release) and is adding greenery — almost 300 trees — across all of its school campuses as a part of those changes to enhance learning and well-being.
18-month-old Aron Congleton helps his older sibblings and their friends dig a hole where they would later plant a tree at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Jan. 21, 2025. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
6-year-old Alexandra, left, and 5-year-old Xavi Ordar, giggle as they look at their dirty hands after planting a tree at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Jan. 21, 2025. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Students, families, and community members gather to plant trees at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Jan. 20, 2025. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Students plant a tree at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Jan. 20, 2025. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
6-year-old Alylin Vasquez, left, high fives 10-year-old Esmeralda Miranda with dirty gloves after successfully planting a tree at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Jan. 20, 2025. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney. 
Cesar, 7, picks up a handful of dirt to fill in a hole surrounding a freshly planted tree at Los Robles-Ronald McNair Academy in East Palo Alto on Jan. 20, 2025. Photo by Anna Hoch-Kenney.
“This marks a significant milestone in the Ravenswood City School District’s ambitious journey to transform its schools into vibrant and modern learning environments that promote academic excellence and environmental leadership,” according to Canopy.
Ravenswood Superintendent Gina Sudaria said the “arboretum represents growth, resilience, and the power of community.”
“It is a symbol of the transformation we are embarking upon — one rooted in hope, collaboration, and the promise of a brighter future for our students and their families,” she said in a prepared statement.
State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, said it is “so inspiring to see all the planning come to fruition as all the schools are being redesigned and the school grounds are being transformed!!!” in a social media post about the event.
The arboretum will be cared for and maintained by Canopy staff, ensuring they are “healthy and thriving for the next three years of the trees’ lives,” said Renaud.
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