The removal of trees behind the high school has sparked a series of rumors, leaving students speculating about the real reason behind the action.
The school community is coming up with theories about why the trees behind the building are being cut down: road expansion, safety concerns, or new construction. As students share their thoughts, some suspect city regulations or financial motives.
“So I think there’s a variety of speculation that something is going to be built there. But I think that it is important to clarify that, because of City Planning, nothing can be built on that property. The real reason these trees are being cut down is because they’re not native to the area, and native trees help reduce property taxes, Santiago Lopez, Student Body President said.
Many students initially believed the tree removal was tied to the construction of new buildings or parking lots.
Senior, Camila Gutierrez has a theory that supports this idea with this mysterious event. “Honestly, I think they’re clearing the area to build something new, maybe more parking or another building.” Said Gutierrez.
Different people thought the decision was based on safety, as aging trees could pose risks.
“Some students are saying it’s for safety reasons. Apparently, a few trees were old and unstable, so they could fall during a storm. Better safe than sorry, I guess,” Samuel Zuñiga, senior, said. Others speculated that the tree removal was to make space for long-requested expansions to the school’s sports fields.
“I think the school is cutting them down because they’re planning to expand the sports field. We’ve been asking for a bigger field for ages, and now it seems like they’re finally doing it,” Emilio Agudelo, senior, said.
There was also talk of new classrooms being built to accommodate the growing student population.
“There’s this rumor going around that they’re removing the trees to build new classrooms. With more students and teachers that don’t have a personal classroom yet, it might make sense,” Zuñiga said.
Yet, the most plausible explanation revolves around financial incentives related to the type of trees being removed.
“The real reason these trees are being cut down is because of high property taxes. They’re replacing non-native trees with native ones, which can provide tax benefits to the property owners,” Lopez said.