Each year since 1868, Vassar College plants a tree to honor the class graduating that year. Each tree planted not only contributes to the college’s already robust arboretum, but also emphasizes the idea that each class occupies a permanent space on campus. The trees are a visual testament to the contributions of each class. To explore more information about the class trees, you can read about where each one is here.
This year, the Tree Committee is excited to announce the Class of 2026’s tree: the tupelo tree. Although students’ votes originally resulted in a tie between it and the Eastern Redbud tree, the election eventually swayed in favor of the tupelo tree due to its selected location—Sunset Lake. The tupelo, a deciduous tree, thrives in locations with close proximity to water, yet is well-drained. Sunset Lake provides a similar environment to the estuaries where swamp tupelos thrive.
The tupelo tree will bear small berries. Although they are not poisonous, they are not an ideal snack and are not traditionally eaten. During the spring season, the tree will transform into a gorgeous myriad of orange shades, perfectly aligning with the color palette of trees already at Sunset Lake.
On the subject of the Sunset Lake location, Tree Committee member Emma Goss ’26 exclaimed: “I am most excited to see the actual planting of the tree, especially because [the committee] spent so much time carefully deciding the location and working with the grounds management staff.”
This year, the Tree Planting Committee invites all of campus to witness the planting of the Class of 2026 Tree on Arbor Day, April 26, at 3 p.m. The ceremony will include welcoming remarks from President Bradley, a poetry reading, a land acknowledgement and shoveling of dirt into the tree pit with Vassar’s golden shovel. Goss explained that the golden shovel is stored in the Archives and Special Collections Library until the planting each year: “Its only purpose is to help plant the trees.”
The ceremony will also include further information about Vassar’s arboretum and the historical tradition of the class tree. One aspect of the class tree tradition that many students might not be familiar with is that each tree has a time capsule buried at the tree’s location during Senior Week. The day of the time capsule is a day of celebration, filled with lawn activities and sometimes soft serve ice cream. The committee encourages all students to attend, regardless of class year.
This ceremony and long-standing tradition is not only intended to honor the work and achievements of each class, but also Vassar’s enthusiasm toward biodiversity. Contributing to Vassar’s arboretum at large, which contains over 230 tree species, the Class of 2026’s tree will be another important facet of this commitment to biodiversity and nature preservation.