LEAD Neely’s Bend Middle School

Bringing shade to a 31-acre campus

Located in Madison, the beautiful and sprawling campus of LEAD Neely’s Bend Middle School is home to all kinds of school activities — Field Day, soccer, football, recess, and everything in between — and the huge lawns are also enjoyed by nearby community members and families. But… it gets hot in the summer! Families watching football games congregate around the one shade tree. And without any cover, some days it’s too hot for students to enjoy outdoor recess.

Root Nashville worked closely with school leadership to place trees where they will bring the most benefit to the campus: providing shade and protection along sidewalks, the school’s recess area, and around the football, soccer, and baseball fields. With financial and volunteer support from Cornerstone Church, 170 trees were planted in the fall of 2019.

“We are very fortunate to team with Root Nashville and the Cumberland River Compact to plant these trees at ‘The Bend,’” said principal Dr. Tait Danhausen. “With this project, our staff and students — and any visitor to campus — will have a subtle understanding of the importance of caring for our environment and, especially, our school grounds.”

Project Highlights

  • Project completed by the Cumberland River Compact
  • November 2019
  • 170 trees
  • 12 species
  • Madison impact area
  • Planted by volunteers from Cornerstone Church

Explore

Can trees improve student performance?

Research shows that even with just the view of a tree out a window, student concentration is improved.

From the study: “Results demonstrate that classroom views into green landscapes cause significantly better performance on tests of attention and increase student’s recovery from stressful experiences.”

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