Euphemia’s Arboretum at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School is a unique school arboretum designed to educate grades PreK-12, faculty, and surrounding community about the urban forest and their connections to trees.

E.L. Haynes is a Title I school serving more than 1,1100 students with STEAM+ learning initiatives. Euphemia’s Arboretum contains more than 50 unique woody species and 160 trees, on and around campus. There are native shade trees, fruiting trees for food such as pawpaws and serviceberries, and several distinct flowering cherry species to honor D.C.’s cultural heritage of cherry blossoms. Many trees are young but will grow alongside students with their stewardship and care. The arboretum is designed to be educational and interactive with digital maps, seasonal trails, bilingual plant labels, QR codes, and content designed to help teachers connect lessons to observable plant science and phenology. As the arboretum and educational resources grow, students will contribute photos, media, observations, and data. They want students to connect to the trees, and for the trees to teach their students (and community).

The arboretum is named after Dr. Euphemia Haynes, an advocate for equitable education in D.C. and the first African-American woman to receive a PhD in mathematics. They aim to honor her legacy by developing equitable access to outdoor education and green spaces for the students and neighbors.