It was cold, rainy and a Saturday, but you wouldn’t know it from the enthusiasm shown by eighth-graders at Waldon Middle School who recently spent the day building a pond at the school.
Students from Jon Gray and Tom Mundy’s science classes gathered in front of the school on Oct. 23 to spend the day working on the pond, under the watchful eye of contractor Jesse Moyet of Aquarius Waterscapes in Clarkston.
Moyet, who attended Lake Orion Schools himself, helped the kids as part of the ‘Ponds for Kids? national program, which hooks up contractors with schools in the area.
‘The kids provide the labor,? Moyet said. ‘I provide the know-how. There are a handful of these projects going on in the country…I did one at Eastland Junior High School in Roseville.?
The kids helped dig, move rocks and set up the ‘aquatic ecosystem? of their pond, which will be used as part of an outdoor classroom for all the students at the school, to study water flow, plants and fish.
‘It will eventually be fully landscaped with a garden,? said Gray. ‘Country Oaks Landscaping in Ortonville donated some supplies for us, and we also had other donations from area businesses that helped make this a reality.?
Moyet said he usually builds 11×16 ponds with smaller streams.
‘This one will be much bigger,? he said of the Waldon project.
The kids started working at about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, and planned to work in teams until the water was flowing at 5 p.m.
The pond is 400-square feet and includes a waterfall and 20-foot stream.
‘They’re all pretty excited,? Gray said of the students. ‘We are offering them service hours or extra credit for coming out and doing this. They watched a video in class on Friday showing them how the construction would go.?
‘It’s hard because it’s so rocky, but it’s an awesome idea,? said Katelyn, one of the students who helped build the pond.
‘It’s a good idea,? agreed classmate Annie Ryan, who stopped for a break with friends Jennifer Storie and Justine Becker.
‘We don’t mind giving up our Saturday for it,? she said.