Chatham Hall to Establish Campus Arboretum

“Chatham Hall has this marvelous campus, and we have a lot of trees, so it just makes sense that we should take care of them,” Trustee Kate Bulkley ’77 said.  

 

Bulkley has always admired the trees on campus, but she was inspired to create the Chatham Hall Arboretum Task Force after she met Sherley Young ’57 when Young won the Chatham Hall Distinguished Alumna Award in 2022.  

“In her acceptance speech, Sherley spoke passionately about many things, including establishing the Washington Square Park arboretum in Philadelphia,” Bulkley said. She asked Young how difficult it would be for Chatham Hall to have an arboretum of its own. “With typical Sherley verve, she told me all it would take is determination because we certainly have enough beautiful trees on this campus, just look around!”

 

With that inspiration, Bulkley pulled together several more like-minded alumnae and fellow Trustees to form the task force. In addition to Bulkley and Young, the Task Force includes trustee Jennifer McKay ’84 P’20, whose family created The Crosby Arboretum in Mississippi to honor her grandfather, and Molly Davis ’79, director of The Arboretum, State Botanical Garden of Kentucky. 

The next step was to talk to the School’s faculty, staff, and students to see how the project resonated with them. 

 

“What's been really great is the enthusiasm we’ve felt from the School about the trees and stewarding the trees,” said Bulkley. “This really is a joint effort of alumnae, the Board of Trustees, the School, and the girls.”

 

Chatham Hall is now in the process of establishing a Level 1 accredited arboretum with a dedication planned for the spring to coincide with Earth Day on April 22. 

 

“I'm thrilled to be part of the arboretum project with my Global Entrepreneurship class because I believe it provides us with a unique opportunity to leave a lasting legacy at our School for generations to come,” said year two entrepreneurship student Stephanie Cano Barranco ‘24.

 

The School’s Global Entrepreneurship students are driving the arboretum project, including photographing and creating fact sheets for the 25 trees chosen to meet the species requirement necessary for this level of accreditation. Other campus groups involved in the project include the Nature Club, Sustainability Club, and Art Department, including the Makerspace team which will design and prototype the tree labels.

 

"I am so excited about being able to work on this project as I believe it shows promise to positively impact our campus and sustainability efforts as a School,” said Sophia Hurst ‘25, year one entrepreneurship student and president of the Sustainability Club.

 

Director of Entrepreneurship Beth Barksdale has been working closely with the Arboretum Task Force, Wolf Josey Landscape Architects, who are building the tree database, and students to ensure the Chatham Hall Arboretum contributes on multiple levels. For example, the arboretum will feature interpretive and educational stations including mosaic stepping stones, registered bluebird birdhouses created by community members, a pollinator garden, and guided meditations to create a fully immersive experience.