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SUNNY Temp: 49 °F Wind: N at 0 mph Monday, November 25, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend October 20, 2002 Griffin Creek Elementary School students Hanna Curtius, 9, and Davis Darnally, 10, dump a load of dirt in front of the school Saturday as they and their classmates build a pond. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Students dig in to build ecosystem Griffin Creek now has an aquatic study area after a hard day’s work By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune Students at Griffin Creek Elementary School literally had the chance Saturday to build the school’s curriculum with their own hands. Studying aquatic ecosystems used to mean traveling the steep and sometimes slippery slope down to Griffin Creek. But a newly constructed pond filled with plants, fish, microorganisms and bacteria puts the world of science at the school’s front door. "Our goal, really, is that the school will be able to use it for water studies," said Stacey Hauser, a teacher at Griffin Creek. Hauser’s combined class of 30 fourth- and fifth-graders chipped in with shovels and bare hands starting at 9 a.m. Saturday to install the 11-by-16-foot pond — donated by Andreatta Waterscapes Inc. of Medford. In eight hours, the kids transformed a flat flower bed into a watery wonderland. "You should have seen it before all this happened; it was all flat and boring," said fifth-grader Cynthia Johnson. "Better than staying home and watching TV." "I’ve never worked this hard," said fifth-grade student Hailey Matlock. Digging trenches and moving tons of rock paid off once water flowed down the 12-foot falls. Students, parents and teachers along with Andreatta employees clapped and cheered to see the stream bubbling around lotus, lily and papyrus plants. "I liked working as a team," said fifth-grader Jasmine Maitlan. The pond is the second Andreatta Waterscapes owner Tonja Andreatta has donated to Medford schools. Last year, Andreatta helped Jefferson Elementary students build a 10-by-8-foot pond with a 15-foot stream in the courtyard. Her ultimate goal is that all Medford elementary school students have a pond to call their own. "(It is) the idea of teaching our kids cause and effect because it’s a mini ecosystem," Andreatta said. "The earth is in their hands." Students who participated will design steppingstones, inscribed with their names and the year, to place around the pond, said Griffin Creek Principal Ginny Hicks. The area eventually will be landscaped and fenced, she said. The school’s parent-teacher organization contributed $1,500, which pays for lifetime maintenance of the pond, Hicks said. Proceeds from July’s Parade of Ponds fund-raiser offset some of Andreatta’s costs, and fish and plants were donated by local businesses. However, the school still needs landscaping and fencing materials, Hicks said. For more information, contact Griffin Creek Elementary at 842-3740. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S