Eco-pond & Orchard

Indian Township School, Washington County
An exemplar of Science and Engineering Practice Integration

“If you look at the direction a lot of science learning is heading towards, it’s science-based inquiry, project-based learning. All their methods are really design school, so what better way to learn the content of earth science than to set it up as a design school project where research influences the design to assess the needs.”

JAROD FARN-GUILLETTE, science teacher

PROJECT BACKGROUND

A design experiment turned into reality: creating a school pond. The Eco-Pond project began as a thought experiment and evolved into a project that showed students how will and dedication can yield tangible results. Jarod Farn-Guillette, a science teacher at Indian Township School, started the year with a challenge question: “What if we had a pond that could be used as a living classroom and laboratory?” According to Farn-Guillette, the students didn’t believe it could happen. “So we started on paper with research on the physical needs, what goes into it, then what are the biological needs of a pond.” Farn-Guillette structures his science class as a design studio, drawing on his experience as a landscape architect, and integrating the Next Generation Science Standards science and engineering practices. The students designed the pond themselves and learned valuable skills: researching and analyzing the biological needs of the pond; the Passamaquoddy names of species in the pond; and the ecosystem services, such as food and medicine, that would have traditionally been received from plants and animals living in and around the pond.

Farn-Guillette was not deterred by his students’ initial hesitation about the project coming to fruition. He approached the principal, school board, the Passamaquoddy Tribal Council and Tribal Chief with his students’ presentations and designs and gained their enthusiastic support. The project started with a question and evolved into a project that involved the entire community.

THE PROGRAM

From the first design stages to the physical digging of the pond, students took ownership of the project every step of the way. Students went through each stage of the design: idea conceptualization, research, design iteration, modeling, and developing a final product. Students applied lessons and learning to develop models of the Eco-Pond which started with hand-drawn depictions, to scale, and evolved into 3D-printed models. Farn-Guillette integrated earth science standards and science and engineering practices to guide this process. Finally, students hand-dug the perimeter of the pond and a community member finished digging with an excavator. The result is a two-and-a- half-meter deep pond that is completely of the students’ own design and creation.

The Eco-Pond project fits into the larger picture of outdoor and experiential learning at Indian Township School. Other student-driven projects and outdoor learning spaces include a Three Sisters Garden, a traditional indigenous method of growing corn, beans and squash together. The school also recently created an orchard, with support from ReTreeUS, a nonprofit organization that plants school orchards in Maine. All of these spaces operate together to teach food production, provide an outdoor learning space, and further food sovereignty in the community. The use of native and indigenous varieties of plants such as flint corn, elderberries, and sweetgrass in the school gardens, orchard, and Eco-Pond tie in with local indigenous knowledge of the Passamaquoddy. Brian Giles, Indian Township special education teacher and FoodCorps supervisor, shared, “There was an orchard there before the school and it was a mainstay for food security. So, when we talked about getting a new orchard, the whole community was excited.”

BENEFITS

Students learned how to be a driver of a project and follow it through to the end while learning practical skills and being exposed to careers in construction, design, and landscape architecture. Giles said, “One of the things we always try to work on with our students is how do you create a goal and make a plan logistically and how do you follow that plan through to the end. And a lot of students don’t get the experience of that kind of accomplishment until adulthood, especially not on this scale.”

Further, students with behavioral issues or who didn’t normally connect with a classroom environment in school had the opportunity to take ownership and responsibility and apply themselves in different ways through hands- on learning. It was “a total transformation,” one teacher explained. One student who was often difficult inside the classroom became “responsible, he was mature, he was polite” while working on the Eco-Pond project and took a leadership role with the other students.

Additionally, the food grown is now used by the school cafeteria and is also open to the community. Giles explains, “Anyone can come in and take the harvest from any of the gardens. We’re living in a food desert, so there is food insecurity, even though there are a lot of resources available, but that often isn’t enough. The closest grocery store is about 10 miles away. With lack of transportation and lack of financial resources, it can be tough for some families. So, if they help them- selves to the garden, they are welcome to it and it reduces waste.”

SUPPORT & PARTNERSHIPS

LESSONS LEARNED & NEXT STEPS

This project succeeded because of the complete support of the school and town administration and no roadblocks. All involved brought boundless enthusiasm for the project. Future plans for the pond include landscaping around the perimeter, benches for contemplation, and security cameras and lighting to keep the orchard and Eco-Pond safe. While the students were realistic in their understanding that this space ran the risk of being vandalized, they pushed to create a space of repose and mindfulness for the community, “That was really a driver behind the pond, that the students wanted to make something for their community,” said Farn-Guillette.