One of the school’s enduring traditions is the annual winter tree sale. Each year, balsam firs are transported to campus from Nova Scotia for students to sell to local customers.
“We started early December. We’re going to end when all the trees are sold; we don’t have any specific time it could end,” Sixth Form Tree Sale Captain Robert Goens said.
Organized by history teachers Mr. Timothy Lengel and Mr. Brian Long, the tree sale is run by ten captains and any Fifth or Sixth Formers who wish to sign up for shifts. Apart from tips, the compensation for working enough hours is one, or potentially two, free tickets for the prom dance in the Spring.
“Last year, I had a lot of fun, made a good amount of money from tips, and got two free prom tickets,” Sixth Form Captain Simon Dombar said. “I think it’s worth it.”
This year, all ten captains are Sixth Formers. A captain’s responsibility is to ensure that everything runs smoothly, from the cash to suppliers and suppliers to the general organization. A captain will always be on site.
“The biggest difference [from last year] is that I’m a captain this year. So that comes with many more responsibilities, like checking the sheets and ensuring everything is running smoothly,” Dombar said. “I also have a lot more flexibility with my schedule this year. I don’t need to hit a certain amount of hours; I just need to ensure everything is covered.”
The sale, running from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends, is fast and straightforward.
We’ll have people come buy a tree, we’ll wrap it for them, cut off the stump if we have to, they pay, and then we tie it onto their car.”
robert goens ’25
“We’ll have people come buy a tree, we’ll wrap it for them, cut off the stump if we have to, they pay, and then we tie it onto their car,” Goens said.
The hope is to match last year’s success, when trees sold out in only two weeks.
Apart from numbers, however, the students want to maintain the brotherhood fostered in the previous year’s sale.
“[Last year] it was a delightful experience because I got a lot of guidance from the upperclassmen about how to do it, and outside of just selling trees, giving me advice about classes and college applications and stuff like that. I had a lot of fun,” Dombar said.
That camaraderie is the brotherhood students are aiming to replicate this year.
In addition, the tree sale is an excellent way for students to gain experience.
“It helps students get ready for a real job if they don’t have one yet,” Goens said. “I’m just getting used to how working a shift really would be: interacting with adults and students, you know, just things you will need later on in life.”
“The tree sale is a good tradition that should continue. It is a chance for us to give back to the community, a way to fund our prom, and an opportunity for students to gain work experience,” Goens said.
“I think it’s a really good tradition,” Dombar said. “People love that we’re doing this to raise money for our prom. On Saturday, I was helping a man who said he worked the tree sale as a student here. And I think it’s a great long-standing tradition, and I’m glad we will continue doing it because we can see people coming back.”
