Wayne County Schools Career Center students honor America250 with tree planting

Representatives from the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial gathered with students, educators and state officials recently at the Wayne County Schools Career Center in Smithville to plant a Liberty Tree honoring America’s 250th anniversary.

The event and tree planting were organized by the Student Leadership Council and the Future Farmers of America.

“These students have been planning and working on this for over a year," career center government instructor and SLC adviser Kimberly Huffman said. "The FFA and their adviser Alex DeWitt collaborated with the tree planting. The students made this possible, wrote their own speeches and did a beautiful job.”

During the ceremony student leaders described the Liberty Tree as a living symbol of patriotism, unity and resilience, rooted in the traditions of the American Revolution when Liberty Trees served as gathering places where citizens debated ideas and organized principles of freedom and self-government.

“Liberty is not something handed to us,” WCSCC student and SLC President Kennedy Hartzler said during the ceremony. “It is something we protect, strengthen and pass on to the next generation.”

Students selected “Independence to Industry” as the school’s America250 theme, tying the nation’s founding ideals to the career center’s mission of workforce development and technical education.

“We wanted to leave a mark that would still be growing when the next generation stands where we are today,” WCSCC student and SLC and FFA member Caleb Snyder said. “This tree is a direct descendant of a historic specimen, a living witness to the American story. By planting one here, we are weaving Wayne County into the broader history of our national tapestry.”

Todd Kleismit, executive director of the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial, said Ohio communities are embracing America250 celebrations in ways unique to their local histories while also creating opportunities for people to reconnect.

“We’re hoping to use 2026 as a time to really get people together and to find some common ground and collaborate together,” Kleismit said. “It’s being embraced all over the state of Ohio, which is so encouraging.”

The event also highlighted the career center’s expanding role in workforce preparation and partnerships with industry, colleges and public agencies.

According to Huffman, modern career-technical education has evolved far beyond traditional perceptions of vocational schooling. She said WCSCC now operates much like 26 different little businesses under one roof, offering programs ranging from welding and engineering to cosmetology, culinary arts, health care and special-needs workforce programs. Many students graduate directly into apprenticeships, employment or higher education through partnerships with local businesses and colleges.

“I think students see so much of the past as not part of their future, and they don’t realize that people overcame many of the same challenges they face today,” Huffman said. “Anytime that you come together in a community and celebrate together, that’s the essential element of what America is.”

Career center representatives said the school reflects collaboration across Wayne County, bringing together students from multiple districts, backgrounds and career pathways under one roof.

To learn more about the WCSCC, visit www.wcscc.edu.

Dan Starcher is the communications coordinator for Wayne County.