Info about
Specific Events and our fundraiser are found here - near the top of this page.
For general info and updates on
current events, and more, please scroll down.
Donate Trees! Embarrass Mr. McKim!
Beautify the Harper JHS Campus!
Build an Arboretum! Add Habitat!
Make this your Day of Giving Donation!
Make good on your QCD's & RMD's!
Help us break our record.
Beard+Face Paint Choices:
Rainbow 67, Truffula Trees (Lorax),
Rainbow Leopard Spots, Batman Symbol
Record to Beat: $1,820 (2024-25)
Announcing the 2025-26 Fund Razor IX!
The Annual Fundraiser for Tree Harper & Friends of Frances raises money for the goal of adding 10 trees each year to the Harper JHS Campus in Davis CA. Donations buy trees, tools, and snacks for our student and community volunteers. Donors choose one of four student-selected embarrassing beard and fact paint styles and donate one dollar per vote. Top voted style is worn by Mr. McKim for as many as three school days depending on total donations received.
Running Vote Tallies for 2025-26
Fund Razor VIII
| Beard Style (as of 12/8/25 10:10 pm) |
Vote Tally |
Ranking |
| |
|
|
| Rainbow 67 (New! meme origin) |
305.05 |
1 |
| Truffula Trees (New! from The Lorax) |
150.00 |
2 |
| Batman Symbol (repeat of 17-18 winner) |
50.00 |
3 (tied) |
| Rainbow Spots (repeat of 21-22 winner) |
50.00 |
3 (tied) |
| |
|
|
Funds (midnight 12/13/25 deadline)
|
555.05 |
|
| Total funds (includes after deadline) |
NA |
|
You can always donate by
credit card at the Harper Webstore.
Use this Harper Webstore link or the QR code below
or with cash or check in an envelope to the Harper Office.
Details of 2025-26 Fund Razor IX
1 vote = $1. Typical donations are between $5 and $20.
The single donation record was set in 2023-24 at $395 from one donor just before the deadline !
Our annual goal is to buy and plant 10 trees. We have always met our goal! We have planted 251 trees since 2007! That is 74% of all 336 trees on our campus.
At current prices, depending on approved species and sizes, we need about $1,500 to buy ten trees and associated supplies: tree tape, snacks for volunteers! We don't have to buy tree stakes - thanks to donations of used stakes from Tree Davis!
The top voted style will be worn on Monday 12/15/25 if the donations received before the deadline are less than $1,000.
The beard will be worn for two school days (12/15/25 to 12/16/25) if donations received are between $1,000 and $1,870 (our fundraising record set in 2024-25).
It will be worn for three school days (12/15/25-12/17/25) if donations exceed $1,870!
Donations are accepted at any time, but do not count toward the voting process if received after the deadline of midnight Saturday 12/13/25.
The record for "after deadline donations" was set in 2024-25 with a single donor contributing $1,000!
2004-25 Fund Razor VIII Results: $1,870!
Before the deadline:$820.
After the deadline: $1,050!
24-25 Fund Razor VIII:
Mr. McKim wearing the winning beard/face paint style: Jaws Shark.
Losing beards: 2nd place: $230 Black Widow Spider, 3rd: $185 Pac-Man, 4th: $160 Butterfly
Picture Gallery: Past Beard Winners of Fund Razor
Wanted: Do you have a small tractor or Bobcat to move wood chips? We would love your help for one Saturday morning!
Scroll down to "Spreading Wood Chips" for more info
More About:
Tree Harper - an ASB Club for Harper students
and
Friends of Frances - a community organization for students, families, organizations, groups
Check out this 5 minute video produced by Calfire for more info on
Tree Harper and Friends of Frances!
Tree Harper:
Multiple Grant recipient: We have received many grants since 2007 from donors such as Davis Farm To Schools, Tandem Properties, North Bay Schools Insurance, Calfire, and our wonderful Harper PTO.
Award winning: In 2022, Tree Davis awarded this program a Tree Stewardship Award
https://www.davisenterprise.com/news/community_news/tree-davis-announces-2022-tree-stewardship-awards/article_77e928f1-7118-5bcb-967b-c6def5e68e92.html
State-Level Recognition: In 2023-24, California State's Calfire Department made a promotional video for its $150 million grant program using Tree Harper as its model school. Harper was also included on its Western States Urban Foresters Convention Tour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=norEcFPDpjU
Huge Annual Numbers of Volunteer Hours: Most years, Tree Harper is responsible for 1,000+ hours of community service - people giving back to our school and healing the environment.
All Harper students, 7th , 8th , & 9th graders, are invited to help with campus beautification using sustainable practices, thoughtful arboriculture, and hands-on horticulture. We are responsible for planting 250+ out of Harper's 330+ trees - that's about 72% of the trees on campus! Student volunteers have designed and maintained more than 10 specialized garden beds and tree groves since 2007!
***Service hours available for scouts, church groups, sororities, fraternities, etc...***
When? Where? How?
Tree Harper volunteers meet Mondays in Mr. McKim's room G-48 during the first 10 to 15 minutes of lunch to plan future events and make decisions. These volunteers then meet again after school on Fridays from 3:30 to 5:00 to grab tools, plants, and trees and do work such as planting, propagating, painting, masonry, mulching, cleaning, etc. Students do not need to sign up. Just show up! Students do not have to attend every meeting - just show up when your schedule allows - yep! athletes can complete their seasons and drop back in! Families can contribute by donating snacks and drinks. Student favorites are Goldfish crackers, granola bars, protein bars, Fruit-by-the-Foot, chocolate, fruit, bottled water and Capri-sun drinks. Volunteers, teachers, students, scouts, and community members comprise Harper's campus-care group titled Friends of Frances. We do the same work as Tree Harper - see above. We meet eight times each school year for Saturday work parties from 8 am to 12:00 noon pm at Harper. Dates are listed below. Partial attendance is welcome. All community members, any age, are invited.
*** Service hours available for scouts, church, groups, sororities, fraternities, etc.***
Donations:
Please consider donating $ to buy our campus more trees! For credit cards, click this link Harper Webstore link or navigate to this website's Resources page, then Webstore, then click on the Tree Harper donation tile. If the tile isn't showing, use the search bar for "Tree Harper Donations." For checks or cash, drop off in an envelope at the Harper Front Office or send to Mr. McKim in Room G-48. For Gift Card donations, all are appreciated and accepted, and we frequently use Davis ACE Hardware, Nugget Market, Home Depot, and Lowes.
Donatables:
Plant seeds, plants, and young trees (certain species), large and small pots and saucers, used tools, new tools.
Monetary Donations: direct these to Tree Harper ASB Club
via Ken McKim
[email protected]
Questions?
or Special Donations? Contact Ken McKim at [email protected]
Friends of Frances - a community organization
Volunteers, teachers, students, scouts, and community members comprise Harper's campus-care group titled Friends of Frances. We do the same work as Tree Harper - see above. We meet eight times each school year for Saturday work parties from 8 am to 12:00 noon pm at Harper. Dates are listed below. Partial attendance is welcome. All community members, any age, are invited.
*** Service hours available for scouts, church, groups, sororities, fraternities, etc.***
Friends of Frances Dates for 2025-2026:
(If weather requires rescheduling, make-up dates may be needed and will be added to this website page). All dates are Saturdays – time is from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. Partial attendance is great!
Fall 9/6/25 10/4/25 10/18/25 11/1/25
Spring 1/31/26 2/21/26 3/7/26 4/4/26
Local Business Partners:
Community Mercantile,
nonprofit 501c3
530-379-3070
[email protected]
Kent Tree Removal,
(916) 868-8509
[email protected]
Specific Events & Projects:
Flower Alley:
This project is located between the bike racks and the J wing. Once completed, this previously neglected plant bed will be a tree-shaded , meandering and paved path amidst colorful bulb and cut-flower species. It has been supported financially by Davis Farm to School (part of our downtown Farmer's Market), Tandem Properties, and the Harper PTO. Currently, trees have been planted and some of the pathway hardscaping has been completed. Many science, gastronomy, and art curricula are enhanced by this special garden. Of note are some of Mrs. Ziser's art assignments that include color theory, arranged flower design, and still life drawing and painting. We are requesting donations of paving stones or flagstones of any type.
Tree ID Plaques with Dedications:
We are in the process of making and installing wood posts containing etched aluminum plates which identify the increasingly diverse tree species found on our "Harperetum" campus. We get help from Mr. Shimek. He and his students help make the posts and plaques. Also, when integral members of our Harper JHS community either retire or move on to other pursuits, we often dedicate a tree to them by including their name and contributions on these plaques. If you would like to help, make, or donate funds to this project, contact Mr. McKim at [email protected]
Within the Curricula+ :
Science 8 classes: In some Science 8 classes, while learning the scientific method, students chart the growth of seeds and the growth of roots on cuttings of stems. Later, these maturing plants get potted for eventual use in our campus gardens. "Field Day Fridays" occur about every two weeks. Students get to help maintain our campus, help in the garden, plant trees, or renovate garden and planting beds.
Biology classes: Students dissects seeds, veggies, and fruit to learn safe dissection and basic plant reproduction. A year-long assignment titled Applied Biology involves the detailed charting and research of the growth of a student-chosen plant species. These plants often go into our shadehouse for eventual planting in our landscape, or they are planted in our Welcome Pots. These large pots that are placed outside each classroom to add beauty and to welcome students and faculty with "punny," and hopefully funny, signage An example of one placed outside the music room: "DJ! Turn up the beet!" "Field Day Fridays" occur about every two weeks. Students get to learn biology as they help maintain our campus, help in the garden, plant trees, or renovate garden and planting beds.
Art classes: Students observe color theory as expressed by flowers in our gardens. Students draw and paint still life representations using botanical cuttings. Students cut many different types of flowers and learn the art of flower arrangement.
Special Ed classes: Many students are accompanied by their paraeducators or teachers to help with outside garden chores.
Cafeteria: Our nutrition providers often use herbs and vegetables grown on our campus for dishes provided in student lunches.
A Series of Transplants:
Student projects involve growing plants within indoor "grow carts" from seeds or cuttings. When these are mature enough, they are repotted in 1 gallon containers and placed in our shadehouses. Then, depending on species, they are repotted into 2 or 5 gallon containers and grown outside the shadehouses. Once fully mature, they might go into our Welcome Pots that are in front of each classroom door, or they might go into the school's permanent landscape.
Spreading Wood Chips aka Mulch:
Each year, we receive tons (literally) of free wood chips that we haul to our renovated parts of the campus. This "forest floor" layer of decomposing leaves, twigs, and wood chipd reduces weeds, increases soil moisture, repairs over-used agricultural soil, and keeps mud out of our walkways and classrooms. Mostly, we spread the mulch the old-fashioned way - with pitchforks and wheelbarrows. About twice a year, when our mulch supplies outnumber our volunteer labor, we ask for someone with a tractor, bobcat, or similar vehicle to help move the big piles of chips. These large piles accumulate at the front of the school and need to be hauled to interior locations with the campus. If you have such a vehicle and would like to help in this effort, please contact Mr. McKim at [email protected]
Annual Goal of Planting 10 Trees:
Since 2007, we have met, or exceeded our annual goal of adding ten trees to our campus. We are averaging 15 per year! 2024-25 was a record year: 31 trees! We are currently at a total of 251 added trees with a success rate of about 92%. Many steps must be completed to get even one tree planted. Locations and tree species must be approved by our Principal, by our Maintenance & Operations leaders, and by the classified staff's union, known as CSEA. Then we must receive grants or do fundraising to buy the tree, the tree stakes, the tree tape, and the wire mesh for building a gopher-proof basket for the tree's young roots. We then dig the hole, install the gopher basket, place the tree, backfill the hole, place the stakes and support the tree with tree tape, and do supplemental watering for three years. If you would like to help with this goal, which is our program's namesake - Tree Harper - please contact Mr. McKim at [email protected]
Pending projects:
Currently being considered for approval are:
1) Underplanting a new generation of eight small trees between nine existing plane trees (aka sycamores) in the north most section of the parking lot in front of the school
2) Underplanting a new generation of four small trees between some existing plane trees (aka sycamores) in the middle strip of the parking lot in front of the school
3) Planting four new trees - two strawberry trees and two purple pony trees - to complete our dense tree canopy for the EFG quad and the GHJ quad.
Garden at Harper Collaboration:
Student volunteers often choose to help our wonderful Garden at Harper volunteers with weeding, seeding, harvesting, mulching, repairs. We provide the garden with wood chips and compost and we share tools. There is no shortage of a helping hand if one is needed. The garden shares its top-notch produce with our student volunteers, with our staff and faculty, and is occasionally served in school lunches across the school district.
Development of Many Outdoor Classrooms:
Four of six planned outdoor classrooms are complete. These are located under the large plane trees (sycamores) in the EFG quad and the GHJ quad. Two more, located where the E and F wings meet, and where the H and J wings meet, are nearly complete. These alternatives to a sometimes stuffy classroom are used frequently by teachers, especially for assignments involving video creation, group and discussion work, and practicing for skits and presentations. These areas feature shade trees, stump seats, and interesting horticulture specimens.
Summer 2026 Tree Harper:
Usually Tuesdays and Thursdays 8am to 11am
Bring a friend! The Buddy System is in effect.
Look for Mr. McKim's truck or golf cart!
Likely to occur June 17 through August 19 - subject to change at a moment's notice!
Check here each week to confirm when Mr. McKim will be on campus.
Read below! You can also follow us on Instagram at
Tree_Harper_04
Use this QR code below:
