Larsen Middle School students spend summer reconstructing koi pond

Summer for younger students usually is a time for relaxing, going to the pool, hanging out with friends, playing video games or watching TV. A group of hardworking students from Larsen Middle School in Elgin had different plans.

More than 20 students participated in a summer enrichment program to reconstruct a koi pond at the back of the school. The group included seventh- and eighth-graders, as well as some of their younger siblings.

"One thing I found about middle-schoolers is they want to be a part of those things. If you ask them to volunteer, they're there in a second," said Marti Guihan, an English and reading teacher and the school's student council adviser. "When this project is done, I can't wait to see their faces and know that, yes, you were a part of this."

Guihan came up with the idea to reconstruct the pond after visiting Larkin High School in Elgin and learning one of its koi fish had babies. She brought up the project idea to the student council, which agreed it would be a smart investment for the school and the community.

The student council spent $30 on six koi fish and kept them in a fish tank in Guihan's classroom while her students researched fish and measured their growth. When Guihan first got the fish at the beginning of the 2015 school year, the koi were three inches long. By the end of the school year they were twice that size.

"We've been having them as classroom pets, but we want a home for them," Guihan said. "The pond will be a great place for teachers to take kids out for reading in the wild and learning about fish and their environment."

The student council raised $6,500 for the pond project by selling spirit wear and concessions during the school year. They also received a 21st Century grant to help fund the three-week enrichment program that started June 6.

The students worked on the pond for up to 90 minutes Monday through Thursday, as well as doing research and creating a presentation on the koi fish. When the three weeks were up, there was still work to be done on the pond, so students volunteered to come back to the school Monday through Thursday for about three hours each day for another week.

"Every day we were out there in the mud. We were filthy and stinky, and they came back the next day," Guihan said. "Kids want to be out, and they want to do something. You just have to give them something to do."

Jeff Jaras of Illinois Water Features, a Lombard company that constructs and maintains ponds and waterfalls, was eager to help.

"To have them build it and then look at it and have them see what they created themselves, it's just fulfilling," Jaras said. "For them to do something like this is pretty awesome."

Before Jaras arrived with his team, the students had to remove everything out of the 20-foot by 10-foot pond, including the rocks, goldfish living in it and lily pads.

"The first time I came, my shoes were so dirty because there was so much mud," said fifth-grader Fatima Rosas, 10. "It was disgusting going into the water, but now it's more fun because we're digging and doing a lot of stuff."

Over two days, the students helped Jaras put liner at the bottom of the pond, align the pond with rocks, fill the bottom with gravel and construct a waterfall. They began filling the pond with water Friday.

The pond was extended by roughly five feet and reconstructed in a way that anyone looking out the 23 school windows surrounding it will be able to see it.

Eighth-grader Lisandro Torres, 13, has been working on the project since it started at the beginning of last school year, helping to raise money and then volunteering for the reconstruction.

"I liked working with others, so I wanted to help Ms. Guihan with the pond," Lisandro said. "I have helped a lot, and I feel so good that I helped."

For some of the younger volunteers who are not yet attending Larsen, the project became a way to support their siblings.

"It's amazing. It was so fun, and I can't wait to come back when the koi will be here," said fourth-grader Itzel Rosas, 9.

Working on the pond became a way for students to hang out and to get out of the house.

"It's really fun. You get to come out with your friends, and you get to help. Everything is hard, but everything is possible to do," said eighth-grade student Carina Martinez, 14.

Guihan hopes to put the koi fish into their new home by the time school starts Aug. 17.

"(Students, staff and teachers are) going to be amazed and grateful for sure," Guihan said. "Kids are always inside sitting down all day long. Let's get them out and appreciate nature, be a part of it."