Planting a Legacy: University Lab School Student Leads Cypress Restoration Along LSU Lakes
January 28, 2026
What began as a required class project for one University Laboratory School student became an environmental collaborative effort connecting students, educators, community leaders, and representatives across Baton Rouge and LSU’s flagship campus.
— Video by Kendall Duncan
11th-grade International Baccalaureate (IB) student Vaughn Meiners chose tree planting as the focus of his Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) project, working with his IB instructor, Karen Holden, to initiate a plan that would make a long-lasting impact.
“I wanted my CAS project to be something that would actually make a difference and last beyond just this year,” Meiners said.
Meiners knew he needed external support, so he reached out to Baton Rouge Green and the LSU Lakes Project to turn a class project into a real community effort.
“First, I talked to Mr. Babcock since he’s the Lab School’s environmental teacher, and then I reached out to Baton Rouge Green because I knew Sage Foley was a U-High graduate and would understand what we were trying to do,” Meiners said.
His efforts quickly became a multi-level partnership. Baton Rouge Green, led by Sage Foley and Amelia Gilmore, coordinated the effort and guided the school through the process by providing direction, planting equipment, and environmental expertise.
The LSU Lakes Project, under the direction of Mark Goodson, managed permits, site planning, and planting logistics. The ULS team, including environmental science teacher Steve Babcock, supported these efforts, while students provided the trees and volunteered in service to the project
“Everyone came out and helped, and I’m just glad they got to learn and be a part of something hands-on,” Meiners said.
The cypress trees were grown by ULS environmental science students as part of a long-term classroom project where they planted the seedlings and monitored their growth over time. 16 cypress trees were successfully grown over four years to a size suitable for transplanting. Students, teachers, and community partners worked together to install the trees along the LSU Lakes near the Lod Cook Alumni Center in locations approved by the LSU Campus Landscape Architect, Louisiana Community Forests, the LSU Lakes Project, and Baton Rouge Green. In turn, ULS was named a National Arbor Foundation Tree Campus.
“That was a special planting for me. Working with U-High kids whose parents I went to school with just makes this feel like a full circle moment," said Sage Roberts Foley, Executive Director for Baton Rouge Green, ULS Class of 2000.
“Hopefully this inspires other students to do projects like this that have a real effect on the community,” Meiners said.
Students received hands-on learning about plant life cycles, root systems, soil conditions, and the trees that are native and important to Louisiana. The project also includes an educational component tied to Arbor Day. High school and kindergarten students participated by planting the trees and learning about leaf identification, plant growth, and their own environmental impact.
“This is what it means to be a lab school: learning beyond the classroom and partnering with community leaders to assist in environmental restoration efforts for the city of Baton Rouge and on the campus of LSU," ULS Director Rob Lyles said.
For Meiners, completing the planting represents more than fulfilling a CAS requirement. It reflects leadership, collaboration, and students' ability to create lasting change when classroom learning connects with community involvement.
“Seeing the trees go from seedlings in class to being planted out here is really cool, because now they’re going to be here for decades,” Meiners said.
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