Trees are cut and bundled in the background as people walk in to explore the rows and rows of trees of different shapes and sizes. This tradition is MVHS’s annual tree lot.

The tree lot serves as a way to fundraise for Spartan sports teams and other programs. Every hour a volunteer spends at the tree lot, $19 is given to the sport or club of their choice, parent volunteer Susan Harder said.

“Last year, I was part of cheer and the funds that we got for that were pretty good, ” junior Ariana Antunez said.

The tree lot’s volunteers are made up of students from athletic teams or clubs and their parents.

“I supported the cross country team in past years – my son was a student here for four years, but he graduated in June, and now I’m here on behalf of my daughter, who’s a student in grade 10,” Harder said. “This is my, probably, fifth or sixth year.”

The student volunteers have had positive experiences working with the tree lot.

“Everybody’s super welcoming and super friendly,” Antunez said. “Customers are amazing.”

The trees sold at the lot are sourced from a tree farm in Oregon and shipped to MVHS in batches by truck. Customers can choose from Douglas Fir, Noble Fir, and Nordmann Fir. 

“They are really nice,” first-time tree lot customer Ellen Knapp said. “Good color, nice and green, good foliage, good fullness.”

When not on display, the water-dependent trees are kept in kiddie pools along the fence adjacent to Truman Avenue to stay hydrated.

“They’re kept sorted at the back according to the type of tree and the height…then they try to have the selection out there that represents the range of things on the lot,” Harder said. “If somebody comes in with a request for a certain height or style of tree…they’ll sometimes fetch more from the back until they find what the person wants.”

To buy a tree, customers must find a volunteer with a clipboard and tell them what kind of tree they want, as well as if they would like a net and stand, Antunez said.

After being selected, the trees are bundled in a net and given to the recipient, either taken home by car or received through a delivery service.

“We make sure we dump out the water…once we put it on top of their car or their trucks, we trim it up a little bit to make it look nicer,” Antunez said.

Along with trees, the lot also sells wreaths and Christmas cards. The cards are made by students in the Life Skills Program, volunteer Lucas Davidson said. The Life Skills Program has been selling cards for twelve years, teacher Kathy Brenner said, although this is the first time the cards and the tree lot have been a part of the same event. The cards raise money for an overnight for the Life Skills Program, Davidson said.

“It makes people feel happy that they’re getting cards,” Davidson said. “And it makes us happy because we’re getting an overnight stay.”

The school advertises the tree lot through newsletters as well as sending the word out to students in sports and clubs, Antunez said.

“They’ve got a postcard,” repeat customer Alex Martin said. “I heard about this place because of the postcard that I got sent in the mail.”

The tree lot’s reception has historically been positive, and its customers are primarily neighborhood residents, school alumni, and student families.

“There’s a lot of repeat customers that come year after year,” Harder said. “I think it’s just kind of grown by word of mouth and…good reputation.”

This word of mouth has been able to attract people without direct affiliations with MVHS.

“This is our first time,” Knapp said. “But my grandparents buy a tree here every year, so they recommended it.”

Other reasons people choose to support the tree lot are because of its convenient location and helpful volunteers, Martin said.

This year, the tree lot has been received well.

“This year is more helpful and organized than ever, and the adults who are here to help are more beautiful and charming than the ones of years past,” Martin said.

Typically, the tree lot ends before break or after selling all of their trees.

“I think it’s a good community-building thing for the parents who volunteer and the students who volunteer their time,” Harder said. “I mean, I keep coming back, so I guess I’m getting something out of it.”