"This really is an opportunity for us to get creative and think differently about how we celebrate, how we honor."
Seattle schools are trying to make the future a little greener for this year's graduating class.
School board president Zachary DeWolf said, "We believe their lives matter, as students, and their futures matter.
DeWolf is heading an effort to plant 3,958 trees, one for each 2020 graduate.
"This was just one way I thought we could bring the community together to honor them and also invest in their futures."
Local donors and labor groups put up the money, and the nonprofit organization, One Tree Planted, has been taking it from there, placing the trees where they'll best support local salmon, as part of their Orca Project.
"There are so many benefits to trees. Everything is connected, right? Healthy trees and a healthy habitat means your salmon are happy and healthy, which means your orcas are happy and healthy, just through a small effort like this one to make sure we're planting trees."
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