Arboretum named in honor of Bearden teacher

In 2018, the Bearden Arboretum was named in honor of retiring teacher Bob Savery. Savery was an educator for 36 years, the last 24 at Bearden, and he developed the popular Wildlife Principles class and wrote the curriculum.

Wild at heart: BHS wildlife principles teachers Bob Savery and Tonya Henke stand in front of the shumard oak planted in Savery’s honor. (Photo by T. Owens)

Savery has long been interested in the trees on the campus which has a number of older hardwoods including red and white oak, ash, poplar and an enormous American Holly. All 30 species are now labeled with signage, and the school plans to build a website with mapped images of each tree.

“My goal was to honor the legacy that is and always will be Mr. Savery,” said science teacher Tonya Henke. “I can’t possibly duplicate the job he’s done with the Wildlife Principles class, but I promise to put as much heart, passion and love into teaching the students about the natural world as he did.”