As classes resumed after the summer vacation, students at Rajagiri Higher Secondary School in Kochi were greeted by a living reminder of their commitment to the environment—a mango tree, lush with green leaves, standing tall at Aryas Junction. For the students, this was no ordinary tree. It was one they had transplanted themselves, rescuing it from being felled to make way for a bus waiting shed near the Kalamassery Metro station.

The tree was initially part of the National Highway beautification programme but became collateral in an infrastructure push. Rather than letting it be cut down, students, teachers, and PTA members from the school’s Global School Programme, led by Principal Fr Tomy Kochelenjikkal, united to save it.

With the help of an excavator and crane, they carefully uprooted and relocated the tree to its new home. Throughout the scorching summer, they took turns watering it, ensuring the mango tree had the care it needed to survive.

Now, as the tree flourishes, it stands not just as a plant but as a symbol of youth-led conservation. What was once seen as a hindrance is now a beacon of environmental responsibility, rooted in the values and actions of a school community that chose preservation over convenience.