Brick Township Memorial High School is a public high school with students from 14 to 18 years of age and a big school with the number of students ranging from 1,800 to 2,000. Mr. David Seegert, a teacher who is the local office representative, is young and an energetic person, who is a counselor for the high school students on mental and physical aspects. He applied for the project after reading an article on the Kaki Tree Project in an education magazine by Ms. Dee Mayes, a teacher who participated in the project in Dallas.
The trees will be planted in the public park near the high school (in March). It is a well managed and safe place. The students often visit there and the trees also can be seen by the locals any time.
Because of the size of the school, it took time to convey information about the project and gain a consensus, and therefore the tree planting ceremony fell behind schedule. Miyajima handed Mr. David Seegert the persimmon trees in New York.
Mr. Seegert informed us later that the students are taking care of the trees. One of them died after a few months due to change in environment but the other one is growing strongly with new leaves and branches sprouted. A board was placed at the foot of the tree so that the neighbors can enjoy.