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15 Comments
January 8, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Maybe
It’s because
I’m a biologist, or maybe
I became a biologist
Because of my belief that
trees are living and sentient beings.
The tree in the quad is gone and
I feel that I have lost a person from my life,
not just a piece of property.
I somehow want the people who did this to
understand.
This one thoughtless and cruel act
Destroyed a life.
You took something that belonged to all of us
You took something irreplaceable. I feel sad for
our loss.
Sad for the tree. I feel sad for those responsible
Because they probably didn’t know just how many
lives they would be affecting.
So we say farewell to the tree, farewell to the hopes,
secrets, wishes, curses, laughter and tears that were
shed beneath its boughs. And maybe, just
Maybe,
We can say
farewell to
Thoughtless
Acts
of violence
like these.
Mrs. Knewstub
January 8, 2007 at 8:58 pm
As I walked onto campus this morning, I could detect the faintest aroma of fresh cut pine. It brought back many fond memories.
Once I stepped on my first wood chip, I felt as though I was walking on sacred remains. I felt guilty as though I needed to take the remainder of my steps very carefully.
Standing in front of where the tree should be at 6:45, I felt an emptiness. So many times I walked by that tree and felt a connection to so many hundreds of students and teachers who previously walked by.
As a former student, the pine tree wasn’t just a tree. It represented Ithaca High. How many yearbook covers included the glorious image??
As we all reflect upon our own memories with the tree, let’s stick together. We cannot allow this act of vandalism to crack our spirit. Let this incident bring us closer together with a common purpose.
January 8, 2007 at 9:02 pm
Today when I came to work I was greeted by the wonderful smell of pine. Later I realized it was your way of saying goodbye to all of us IHS graduates and others who cared so deeply about you.
January 9, 2007 at 12:06 am
Staffs changed, student bodies changed, indoor spaces changed..throughout it all the tree remained. Perhaps it stood for what everyone who attended and graduated from Ithaca High School remembers, a sense of stability and the spirit of IHS.
January 9, 2007 at 4:47 pm
I graduated from IHS in 2000. When a relative told me yesterday that the tree in the quad had been cut down as a prank, I was appalled. The pranks committed in our day never had the aggressive, permanent nature of cutting down a tree. Whatever happened to making a mess of H-courtyard or moving the principal’s desk outside?
I hope there’s a plan to plant a new tree or two in it’s place.
January 9, 2007 at 5:26 pm
To the people who committed this senseless act:
If you want to make a statement, join an organization, build a web site, find a peaceful means of getting your message across. As you read these blogs and Tee Hee to yourself, think about this; one day, when (and if) you mature, you will realize the hurt and anger your actions have caused. It is no too late to “grow up”. Do something positive.
January 9, 2007 at 7:08 pm
I can’t say that I was too emotionally attached to the tree, or considered it a metaphor for my IHS experience, but I can say this: that was a terrible prank. It wasn’t even a prank, it was just vandalism. It lacked creativity, was easy to pull off, and killed a living thing that takes a very long time to become what it had. At the very least, you can respect the tree for being around longer than you have. Every class for 20 years could have cut down the tree, and no one did. That’s because its a stupid idea. What a shame.
January 9, 2007 at 7:45 pm
This tree stood for all of IHS, Whether you were hanging there, eating there, studying there, and or looking for a place to just get away, It has many memories… I am appalled at this generation of pranks and not understanding the consequences of what exactly living emotions are…. whether they are human or a tree… You are defacing a life of memory….A prank can be taken only so far…. and this cant be taken back…. I hope whom ever did this horrible deed, knows that they have taken away many memories not only that have been made but for many generations to come…. That can be made,, You should be ashamed of yourself, I hope you enjoy looking in the mirror, knowing what you have done for not only the past but for any future….. Atleast my class will have thier memory…. Class of 95′
January 9, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Could any teachers, students or citizens willing to speak to me about the tree for tomorrow’s Ithaca Journal please give me a call at my office.
Thanx
Topher Sanders
Ithaca Journal
274.9246
January 9, 2007 at 9:03 pm
To the vandals-
It’s only a tree, just wood you thought, but you didn’t have the right to cut it. We didn’t hurt anyone you thought, but tears of pain have been shed.
Did you think that if you left it notched, it would fall and do damage? Did you hope it would fall on the school? Did you worry that if it fell, someone in the building might be been crushed, even killed? Did you care?
Do you think your secret will stay hidden? Do you wake up at night and pray you don’t get caught? Do you realize what you did was wrong? Do you feel any shame at all?
Don’t you know that we would much rather be here with that tree, then anywhere near someone who could be so thoughtless and cruel.
January 10, 2007 at 2:51 am
I can’t say I was ever attached to the “tree” but I find it absolultey terrible. IHS had a wonderful campus (class of 89″) and people who did this should be ashamed of themselves.
January 10, 2007 at 3:04 am
Are you all nuts?
January 10, 2007 at 3:22 am
Somewhere the Lorax is crying. This is just plain stupid. Why?
January 10, 2007 at 4:29 am
It would appear that the giving tree has nothing left to give us. What a shameful loss, to less than stellar thinking. Though I can’t say that the tree was a hallmark of my time at IHS, I think we all have some good memories of sitting under that tree, taking in the sky between the branches. Perhaps the current Senior class could spearhead a project to replace it, and plant a new one…to give shade to a whole new generation of budding minds. Class of ‘92
January 10, 2007 at 5:34 am
And we thought spray painting the Quad was bad! I just have one question….
Who gave these knuckleheads a chain saw?
Everyone knew then who spray painted the Quad. Do you really think the rest of the student body doesn’t know who you are? They do. I just hope they do the right thing and tell the administration, because your actions and your subsequent cowardice show that you won’t.
I hope your punishment is swift and severe.