March 12th marked the Chinese festival of Arbor Day. Early in the morning, some staff members and students at Wuxi United International School had their spades out and sleeves rolled up, hard at work planting three very special trees. 
At the end of last semester, WUIS held our inaugural Youth Poet Laureate event. Established along with the Society of Youth Poets, the event commissioned three poet laureates. Grade 12 Atlan Zhou, Grade 11 Amber Teng and Grade 10 Ella Dong now proudly wear their poet laureate badges as they walk around school. Another prize for them the dedication of a tree. Three trees were chosen: a satsuma, a tea tree and an olive tree. An area of the grounds near the running track has been set aside as the Society of Youth Poets’ Garden.
The garden is a small corner of the school devoted to peace and quiet. Each year, more trees will be added as more poet laureates are commissioned. The symbolism is deep: The school’s culture of poetry grows each year along with the garden. The students develop as poets as their trees bloom and fruit. The different trees represent the diversity of character and perspective within our student body. But the garden is not merely symbolic, it’s also a practical area to be used. As the trees grow, the space will transform into a shaded area of quiet contemplation. We are providing space, opportunity and motivation for students to get involved with poetry. Teachers can bring their classes to sit among the trees and be inspired both by nature and by the student poets who have shown such excellence.