In a touching tribute that intertwined environmental stewardship with community remembrance, the Hackensack Public Schools partnered with the Hackensack Shade Tree Advisory Committee to honor a beloved educator while celebrating the City’s 33rd annual Arbor Day.

As morning sunlight filtered through the leaves of existing trees, all 525 elementary school students gathered on the grassy field at the corner of Club Way and Maple Hill Drive. There, a Northern Red Oak sapling—New Jersey's official state tree—was planted in memory of beloved former Principal Lillian K. Whitaker, whose impact on the school and community had been as enduring as the mighty oaks that symbolize strength and wisdom.

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