|
Three new ponds were built at schools in the Spring-Ford School District this past spring. The projects provide opportunities for outdoor classroom instruction in environmental science, math and language arts.
The ponds, all of which were funded entirely through fundraising and grants, were constructed at Brooke and Upper Providence elementary schools and Spring-Ford Intermediate School.
Students, faculty and parent volunteers worked under the direction of certified aquascape contractor Steve Senn to create the “outdoor classrooms.” Students assisted in excavation, moving rock, building waterfalls and installing the filtration system.
Brooke’s pond, which was funded primarily through a $3000 grant from the Teleflex Foundation of Limerick, is near the Dr. James Leiderman Memorial Butterfly Garden.
At Spring-Ford Intermediate School, about 500 students were involved in the effort. The school’s pond was funded through money donated through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program, as well as school fundraising efforts by the Builders Club and Leadership Club. The pond was installed in the school’s inner courtyard.
The pond at Upper Providence Elementary School was built in memory of Carol Lippy, a teacher in many of Spring-Ford’s elementary schools and a special member of the community. The pond is in the school’s rear courtyard. School officials applied for grants and held a fundraiser to pay for the memorial project.
The district’s first pond, at Royersford Elementary School, was built in April 2007 and served as a prototype for the ponds built this spring. The 11-by-16-foot pond serves as a miniature ecosystem for students to observe. It includes a small waterfall and stream, as well as plants, fish, rocks and pebbles.
Grant funding is being sought to construct ponds at the district’s remaining elementary schools.
Senn, who has run Senn Landscaping in Eagle since 1989, donated his time and labor to install the ponds. He is affiliated with “Ponds for Kids,” which partners schools and other child-friendly organizations with contractors in the construction of self-sustaining pond ecosystems.
Ponds for Kids is sponsored by the North American Water Garden Society, a non-profit organization of pond lovers dedicated to the enjoyment, education, promotion and protection of the water garden hobby. For more information, visit www.nawgs.org.
|