By PAT NEWMAN
pnewman@thecitizennews.com

The seeds of friendship planted two months ago by students at Fayette County Middle School took root and flowered Monday when a French delegation arrived at the school to accept four of approximately 5,106 trees procured by the students' efforts and headed for the Palace of Versailles and surrounding countryside.

About 10,000 trees, many of them dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, were destroyed at the palace in a major winter storm Dec. 26.

Huber Astier, president of Versailles, received four saplings in a morning ceremony in the school gymnasium. He was accompanied by Jean-Paul Monchau, consul general of France, and two gardeners from Versailles.

He referred to the students' gifts as “Trees of life and trees of friendship.” “We will plant the first trees on the 20th of March, the first day of spring,” he said. On hand to help with the planting will be four Fayette Middle School students and their teacher, who will fly to Paris this Saturday courtesy of Air France.

Amy Bloomfield, Sara Keene, Mary Moore and Mandi Woodruff, accompanied by teacher Carol Pruett, were chosen to represent their school and country based on original essays explaining why they would like to be a part of Franco-American history. “By planting trees, I feel we are planting something else - hope. I am excited to give my generation a better hope for the future... you are also giving us a chance to plant a friendship,” wrote Amy Bloomfield. Fayette Middle School was named in honor of General LaFayette and the winter disaster was felt personally by students in the school. Through various student council projects, approximately $600 was raised for the replanting effory.

“There is always a good thing in everything that happens,” Monchau told the students. He spoke of the “long tradition of friendship between your country and my country” and the long-standing alliance between them, starting with France's involvement in the American Revolution. “Today we gather in a moment in which students give another example, another instance of friendship. The people of France are touched by your gesture. Thank you all for what you are doing.”

The historical significance of the six large and 100 small trees purchased by The Scotts Company from American Forests was explained by AF representative Jeff Meyer.

“The first tree, the largest, is a 14-year-old, a tulip poplar.” He explained it was “an offspring” of a tree planted by George Washington at Mt. Vernon that was nurtured at AF's nursery. There are 20 such trees in existence, according to Meyer.

George Washington tulip poplars can be found at the White House and Mt. Vernon, and now at Fayette Middle School where one was planted Monday. Two of the thousands of trees destroyed at Versailles were tulip poplars that George Washington presented in thanks to France for the nation's support during the American Revolution. Six other trees will be loaded onto an Air France jet and be flown to Versailles. AF “catalogs trees that are important to American history,” Meyers explained.

Another “offspring tree” comes from a “LaFayette” sycamore which stands on the Brandywine Battlefield in PA. This tree is believed to have shaded LaFayette at the time of the revolution.

The planting of the tulip poplar in front of Fayette Middle was ceremonially French. Prior to setting the tree in the ground, the Paris-bound students placed a champagne bottle containing a program from the day's event and a coin bearing the year 2000 in the hole, in time capsule tradition.