Maple Street Without Maples?

by Regina Higgins

It was a “Let’s Cook Out” party on Maple Street, and the scent of grilling drifted from lawn to lawn in the evening air. The parents sat and talked on the porch, while the kids enjoyed ice pops under the maple trees lining the street.

Katie and her friends gathered under “their” maple tree, the one they’d used as a base for tag since they were little. Every summer they’d pasted its green pollywogs on their noses or sent them swirling down like helicopters, and every autumn they’d jumped in the crunchy leaves it dropped. In winter the tree’s roots became pretend roads and castles where action figures had adventures.

They were comparing what flavor ice pop they’d each picked this time, when a woman in a blue running suit strode by and waved at them. “Looks like a big party!” she said. “Is it somebody’s birthday?”

Katie waved back. “Just a neighborhood cookout,” she explained.

The woman stopped and pulled her red hair back into a ponytail. “Well, that’s good to hear,” she said. “So many people don’t even know their neighbors nowadays.”

“I’ve seen you before,” said Katie. “You run in the park every day, don’t you?”

“I do,” the woman nodded, stretching her legs. “And I always walk to and from the park on Maple Street, because of the trees. Cool on the hot days and pretty every day. It’s part of my workout.”

“Would you like an ice pop?” Nisha asked her.

“Oh, thanks, but I really can’t.” She stretched out her arms and shook them. “I’d better be off. Thanks, though. Goodbye! And have a fun neighborhood evening!” she called over her shoulder.

“Bye!” the kids called after her, as she walked quickly away.

MomLee came over with the camera. “Let’s have a picture,” she said. “All of you, scootch under your tree.” The kids gathered under their big maple tree, lining up and linking arms.

MomLee looked around. “Where’s David?”

Just then David came feet first through the branches and landed right in line.

Katie and Jasmine and Nisha and David and Thea all smiled for the camera as MomLee took the picture. Katie and her friends all gathered around to see themselves under their favorite tree.

“We look awesome!” Katie said. “We should take our picture under our tree every year.”

“And we’ll be bigger and more awesome every time!” said Jasmine.

“And when we graduate from high school,” said David, “we’ll all be in our gowns and—what are those hats?”

“Mortarboards,” his sister, Thea, told him.

“Well, before you’re all grown up and going to college,” MomLee said, “let’s say good night and head on home. It’s getting late, and there’s school tomorrow.”

For Katie and her moms, the way home was a short walk across the driveway. But it was hard for Katie to leave her friends just because it was getting dark. She looked back at their maple tree, and it seemed to be waving to her with its leafy branches.

“Won’t it be cool to have our high school graduation picture under our tree?” she asked her moms.

MomLee and MomAnna looked at each other. After what seemed like a long time, MomAnna said, “Katie, soon your tree might not be there. The town council is going to vote on a plan to cut down all the trees on Maple Street.”

The next day at school, during “What’s on Your Mind” time, everyone wanted to talk about the town council plan to cut down the trees on Maple Street.

 “It’s Maple Street!” Katie pointed out. “How can it be Maple Street without any maple trees?”

“Why would they do it?” asked Jasmine. “It’s an awful idea!”

“They’re doing it because it’s part of the town plan to make the street wider,” David said. “Anyway, that’s what my dads told me.”

“Well, it’s a plan that doesn’t make any sense,” said Thea.

Suddenly everyone was talking at once.

“Wait, wait!” Ms. Hernandez raised her hands. “One person speaks at a time. You’ll have to remember that when you make your presentation.”

Suddenly the room was silent.

“Our presentation?” asked Katie, her eyes wide.

“Before the town council,” Ms. Hernandez said. “You’re going to make a case for saving the trees on Maple Street, aren’t you?”

All the kids looked at one another. It took just a second before they all shouted, “Yeah!”

Ms. Hernandez covered her ears, but she was smiling. “I’d planned to cover local government next week. But it looks like we’ll discover local government right now. So let’s get to work!”

All that morning they learned about the responsibilities of the town council and how it made plans to help the town grow. They all practiced the rules of order for town council meetings. They made motions, seconded motions, and voted. Each of the kids got a chance to be the chair and run the meeting.

After lunch, they concentrated on how they could save the trees on Maple Street. Ms. Hernandez divided them into groups to research, but before they started, she gave them some advice.

“I know how important your trees are to you,” she said. “But you’ll have to present something more than your feelings to the town council. You’ve got to give reasons that make other people see that the trees are important to them, too.”

Everybody got to work. David and Thea’s group read pamphlets that explained the town council’s plan for future growth. Nisha’s group went online to look through the council’s agendas from the latest meetings. Jasmine’s group went to the school media center to find out about trees and the environment. Katie’s group spread street maps of the town over their desks and looked to see how Maple Street would change if it were a big, wide road.

“Maple Street connects to Main Street here,” Katie pointed. “So if it were wider, more cars could get to Main Street more quickly. But there aren’t many cars on the street anyway. Why cut down all the trees for just a few cars?”

Katie got her answer when all the groups came together to share what they’d found out.

“The town council says that soon there’s going to be a lot more people living here, especially in the neighborhoods around the park,” said David. “We’re going to need more roads so people can get to work. If they cut down the trees and make Maple Street much wider, more cars can move faster.”

“But think about what’s going to happen,” said Jasmine. “Trees clean the air. If the trees are gone, and we have more cars on the road too—”

“There’ll be more pollution,” Katie nodded. “There’s got to be a better way.”

“I’m really proud of all of you,” said Ms. Hernandez. “You’ve studied how the town council works, and researched the problem. You’re ready to start planning your presentation.”

“But we haven’t solved the problem yet!” Jasmine said. “We don’t know what the town should do instead of cutting down our trees!”

Katie thought for a minute. “Maybe we don’t have to come up with a different plan. Maybe we just have to convince the council to stop and think again before they go ahead with this plan.”

“There’s going to be a special town council meeting about Maple Street on Saturday afternoon,” Nisha said. “People can sign up to present their ideas.”

“Let’s sign up to talk to the council!” said Katie. “We can tell them why they need to stop and think before they cut down the trees. We’ll show them that our trees are important to the whole town!”

That evening at dinner, Katie told her moms that she and her friends were going to speak at the town council meeting.

“We signed up online,” Katie said, as she sprinkled some pepper on the sliced tomatoes from MomAnna’s garden. “We’re calling ourselves the Maple Street School Team. There’s another group that’s speaking too, called the Maple Street Neighbors Association. I wonder who they are.”

MomLee and MomAnna looked at each other and grinned. “Well,” MomLee said, “It started out as just us. But we called people in the neighborhood, and we’ve got quite a good number now. We’re going to put together a presentation.”

“Just like us!” Katie said happily. But then her face fell. “If the grown-ups are doing it, then does that mean we can’t make our presentation?”

“Everyone can speak,” MomAnna said. “And I think it’s good for the council to hear from people of all ages. It’s an important issue.”

“We’ll convince them to leave our trees where they are,” MomLee smiled. “You can’t mess with Maple Street! The kids and the grown-ups agree!”

On Saturday afternoon, Katie and her friends had their presentation all ready for the town council. They chose seats in the front, next to the microphone and the media stand, across the aisle from the Maple Street grown-ups. It was a good thing they arrived early, because soon the whole room was filled with people. Ms. Hernandez gave them a wave from her seat near the back.

The members of the town council came in and took their places at a long table at the front of the room. Katie was a little surprised to see that they looked like regular people. Some were talking quietly and even laughing together.

“Just like we do at school,” thought Katie. She knew she and her friends were ready to make their presentation. But when she looked down at her notes, her mouth suddenly felt dry.

“Good evening, everybody,” said a woman sitting at the center of the long table. “I’m chair of the town council, and I’m calling this meeting to order now, so we can get right to business.” She tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear.

Katie looked closely at the chair. Hadn’t she seen her somewhere?

“The first group to speak will be the Maple Street School Team,” the chair said. “Please come to the microphone, so we can all hear you.”

Katie walked to the microphone, while Nisha placed her laptop on a stand and opened their presentation.

“Members of the town council,” Katie began, her voice shaking a little. She took a deep breath. “The students of Maple Street School oppose the plan for cutting down the trees lining Maple Street.”

“You feel strongly about your trees,” the chair said. “But are you prepared to explain your reasons?”

“We are, Madame Chair,” Katie said. One by one, they showed their charts and graphs. They explained how the Maple Street trees cleaned and cooled the air, stopped erosion, and protected the groundwater for the town.

Katie watched for the council members’ reactions, especially the reaction of the chair, who was looking more and more familiar. Where had Katie met her?

When Katie and her friends finished, the audience applauded loudly. With big smiles, the team all bumped fists.

“Thank you, Maple Street School Team, for your fine presentation,” said the chair. “The town council appreciates your hard work. This is a complex issue, and we have to balance many concerns before we vote. But I want to congratulate you especially on your great neighborhood spirit. So many people nowadays don’t even know their neighbors.”

Suddenly Katie knew where she’d met the chair of the town council. She was the woman in the blue running suit who always walked on Maple Street on her way to the park!

Katie had an idea. She stepped up to the microphone again.

“Madame Chair,” she said. “May I say one more thing?”

The chair looked surprised, and so did the rest of the town council. “If you can say it quickly,” she told Katie.

Katie swallowed hard. “Madame Chair,” she said, holding the microphone so her hands wouldn’t tremble so much. “There’s another concern I’d like to mention. People who run every day walk on Maple Street to the park and back. It’s part of their workout. The trees make it cool on hot days, and people just like how pretty the trees are all year ’round. Our trees really are helping people to exercise and keep healthy. And that’s not just people on Maple Street.” Katie smiled right at the chair. “We love to share our trees with the whole town.”

The chair looked right back at Katie. Slowly she began to smile. “That’s a very good point,” she said. Then she turned to the other council members. “I don’t believe we’ve discussed the impact on our town’s walking routes. That’s certainly important to consider in making our decision.”

“Madame Chair,” a member said, “I move that we postpone the vote about the trees on Maple Street. We need to consider all the facts.”

“Wait a minute,” the chair said. “We’ve not yet heard from the Maple Street Neighbors Association. They will speak now.”

Across the aisle the parents were talking together. Then MomLee stood up and went to the microphone.

“Madame Chair,” MomLee said, “we’ve prepared a presentation. But the Maple Street School Team has already given you a lot to think about, especially keeping our town safe for walking. We stand by what they’ve told you.”

Katie’s eyes got wide. Jasmine grabbed her hand. “We must have done a good job!” she whispered.

Maybe we did, Katie thought. But was it good enough?

“Then public discussion is closed,” said the chair. “Is there any other business?”

“Madame Chair,” the member spoke again, “I move to postpone the vote until we consider all the facts.”

“I second the motion,” another member said.

“All in favor of postponing the vote until we discuss the issue further, say, ‘aye.’”

“Aye!” called out every member of the town council.

“Opposed?”

There was silence.

“The motion is carried unanimously,” said the chair. “Let’s try to keep those beautiful trees right where they are.”

Katie and her friends jumped up in excitement. Everyone cheered, “Maple Street! Maple Street!”

Ms. Hernandez and the parents were clapping as they made their way toward the kids. “We’re so proud of you!” said MomLee. Ms. Hernandez hugged everyone on the team.

“How about pizza?” asked MomAnna.

“Yay!” all the kids shouted.

“But first—” said Katie.

“First, what?” asked MomLee.

“First,” Katie said, as the friends linked arms, “take our picture under our tree!”