Nichols Middle School recently celebrated a remarkable event by planting a Moon Tree!
The American Sweetgum tree, as a seedling, journeyed around the Moon on the Artemis I spacecraft in 2022. After an extensive application process, NASA selected NMS to nurture it!
Scott Young and his Outdoor Adventure and seventh-grade Honors Science classes will care for the tree. Mr. Young's classes had already been following the Artemis program, which focuses on exploring the Moon. The campus has been recognized as an Artemis I Moon Tree Steward on the NASA website.
Mr. Young and his students have been given specific upkeep requirements, including watering, mulching and trimming. The planting site was required to be fenced off to protect the tree from wildlife and away from buildings.
The tree will serve as a focal point in lesson plans that explore photosynthesis, space exploration and aspects of biology. Students will learn how trees convert sunlight into energy, the connection between terrestrial life and the cosmos and the vital role trees play in our ecosystem.
The application process was filled with numerous NASA-required forms, which took Mr. Young and Principal Tammy Watts several weeks to complete. Nearly a year after submitting their application, they heard from NASA in August that NMS was one of a small group of schools chosen to be Moon Tree stewards. There were over 1,300 applications submitted.
NMS hosted Woodland Ecologist Kimberlee Peterson from Texas A&M Forest Service to help find the ideal home for the tree. The chosen spot is between the parking lot and the pond on the campus grounds.
NMS held a contest to name the Moon Tree and two names were chosen to be combined. The tree's moniker is now Luna Artreemis. "Luna" was submitted by Mrs. Combs and "Artreemis" by student Bentlee Heet. Luna is the Spanish word for Moon and Artreemis is a play on Artemis, the rocket that launched the seed into space.
NASA will continue the Artemis missions, with the second phase sending astronauts to orbit the Moon before returning to Earth in 2025. Artemis III will send astronauts to the Moon's surface soon after that.
This exciting addition to the campus serves as a living testament to scientific achievement and will foster a deeper appreciation for environmental sciences among students for years to come.
