On the morning of May 3, 2007, BOHS students, staff, and faculty arrived on campus to the sounds of Brea Olinda Unified School District (BOUSD) service vehicles, pressure washers, and chainsaws.
The assembled maintenance crew and BOHS administrators were scrambling to erase the vandalism that had occurred the previous evening or early morning hours: swastikas spray-painted around the flag pole; the words “Happy Birthday” spray-painted across the exterior gym wall and the north building’s second-floor windows; and swastikas spray-painted on the trunks of six full-grown trees in the quad.
Within hours, the graffiti had been blasted away, but six ugly scars remained: the stumps of the once-tall and lush trees that had graced the campus.
In the aftermath, what had once been a popular student gathering spot became a dusty shortcut to class. And, despite then-principal Jerry Halpin’s assertion that “the paint will come off and the trees will be replanted,” the space has remained barren for 18 years.
Currently, the spots where the trees once stood are yellowing eyesores, occasionally turning into spikeball courts in the fall and muddy swamps during rainier months.
As temperatures simmer in the high 90s and students endure a sweltering walk across the quad with no reprieve from the heat, it’s more obvious than ever that it’s time to plant. It’s been 18 years since an act of hate destroyed the trees, long past time that BOHS and BOUSD install new greenery in the long-vacant spaces.
The benefits of planting trees are many.
A respite from the heat. Recently, temperatures in Brea have held steady in the high-90s, forcing BOHS students to seek refuge in teacher classrooms, under the few surviving trees in the quad, in the cafeteria, and at picnic tables under awnings. The addition of trees would provide another leafy — and aesthetically pleasing — place to gather to escape the brutal temps. Trees act as natural air conditioners, with the shade alone cutting both air and surface temperatures by 15 to 25°F or more.
Community-building. Trees promote socialization by creating inviting, shady places to gather, where students can chat, study, and even reduce their stress and anxiety.
Trees are good for the environment. A fact: Trees improve air quality. We all learned in our ninth grade biology class that trees absorb carbon dioxide and release clean oxygen in return. With a campus nestled in the fire-prone hills of Brea, even a few extra trees can make a meaningful difference in local air quality.
Beautifying our campus. The BOHS campus is one of the most beautiful in Orange County, with views of the entire region, from Brea to Catalina. And the campus is rimmed with nature — from wildlife, to flowers, to the surrounding foothills. Planting trees will restore some of the area’s natural beauty to the very center of campus.
Opportunity for ceremony. The planting of trees at the center of campus is an opportunity for ceremony, to recognize beloved former teachers or administrators, or to memorialize students who have passed. The benches dotting the quad were gifts from past graduation classes, so a tree could be a living gift to Brea Olinda High School.
But there is also something to be said about the symbolism of trees, which represent growth, stability, resilience, and connections, all things that BOUSD and BOHS strive to instill in its students.
Replacing the trees lost 18 years ago to the criminal and offensive acts of vandals would be so much more than a landscaping project; it would be an act of renewal. The gesture would show BOHS’s commitment to the environment, to its students’ well-being, and to positive change.
Read the Wildcat’s May 4, 2007 coverage of the vandalism here:
