On Friday 21 November 2025, the IIS “F. Maurolico”, in the Messina and Spadafora offices, celebrated the National Tree Day, established in Italy in 2013 by the Ministry of the Environment to promote awareness among young people of the value of the arboreal and forestry heritage and of the role of trees in combating climate change. The initiative, coordinated by the Headmaster, Prof. Giovanna De Francesco, is part of a training course aimed at promoting civic responsibility, environmental awareness and active participation. The Director underlined how events of this type combine knowledge, experience and concrete commitment, strengthening the educational identity of the school. At the Maurolico Classical High School, the meeting saw the participation of prof. Fabio Gresta, coordinator of the Course in Agricultural Sciences and Technologies at the University of Messina, and Dr. Giovanni Cavallaro, director of the Forestry Corps. The experts guided the students in a reflection on the role of trees in mitigating climate change and on the importance of protecting natural heritage. In the Aula Magna of the Liceo Scientifico e Linguistico Galilei in Spadafora, the students met the prof. Scordia and Professor Ciaramella of the Department of Agriculture, together with Doctor Andaloro, architect, landscape agronomist and former student of the same Institute, who illustrated concrete projects of environmental regeneration and sustainable development of the territory, showing how technical skills and ecological sensitivity can translate into useful and innovative actions for the community. The teachers of the University of Messina also presented the educational and professional perspectives linked to studies in Agriculture, providing valuable information on a continuously growing sector that is increasingly central to the challenges of our time.
The meeting ended with a gesture full of meaning: the students, guided by their teachers, planted a young olive tree in the school garden. A symbol of rootedness, care and responsibility towards the future, which perfectly embodies the spirit of the day. The celebration of National Tree Day at Maurolico thus confirms itself as an event of great educational value, thanks also to the vision and support of the School Director, who continues to promote paths capable of combining knowledge, awareness and concrete action in favor of the environment.