Back to school!

Montgomery Elementary class by their new pond project

Today, the Cedar Run crew and I led 12 classes for over 600 students at Montgomery Elementary School for our Ponds for Kids project, what a blast!

We started the project in August, getting the rough in work done and staging a lot of the materials in the courtyard. The students are really excited – they worked with us today and will continue tomorrow. Even the parents were working, too – they were there to chaperone, but some of them saw how much fun the kids were having and wanted to pitch right in.

I gave each of the classes a short lecture and question and answer period at the start of their session. We explained what we were doing in the courtyard, and then had them put on gloves and they did the planting, adding soil, grading, adding rock and gravel and on and on. Tomorrow we will plant the carnivore bog, along with daffodils and tulips, mulching, hook up the pump for the hose to tap into the stored water and plant more native wetland plants and, shrubs and perennials.

My voice is worn out, but the kids, teachers and my staff are having a great time.

Mr. Taylor, Principal of Montgomery Elementary, and Alden "The Rain Guy" Zove, preparing to dig a hole for the school rain garden.