43
Poland North wild about nature
Photo
Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Third-graders Katrina Partika (front left), Gregory Romito, Austin Tusinac, Mitchell Frederick, wildlife specialist Jamey Graham and Principal Michael Masucci are excited for North Elementary to be awarded the title of a Wild School Site May 6. A plaque was given to the school and fish were released into the school's new pond in celebration of the school's award.
Photo
Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .First-grader Christian Justice chooses the fish that his class will adopt. Each class at North Elementary was able to watch as their fish was released into the school's new pond May 6.
Photo
Neigbors | Shaiyla Hakeem.North Elementary Students look at their fish that were released into the new pond. Each class bought a fish for the pond that they will feed and take care of throughout the school year.
Photo
Ohio Wildlife Communications Specialist Jamey Graham (center) presents second-grader Ally Donnachie, kindergartener Gage Hunter and first-grader Jordyn Kopp with a plaque naming North Elementary as a Wild School Site. There are 104 Wild Schools in Ohio and five, including North, in the Mahoning County.
Photo
Neigbors | Shaiyla Hakeem.Pondscape General Manager Louis Buchmann releases one of the 12 fish into North Elementary's new pond. The pond was built by Boardman's Pondscape and took more than 10 hours to construct.
By SHAIYLA HAKEEM
Students of North Elementary gathered in their garden May 6 as they were awarded the title as a Wild School site by the Ohio Division of Wildlife.
Wildlife Communications Specialist Jamey Graham presented students with a plaque stating the school’s accomplishment. There are 104 Wild School sites in Ohio with North being the fifth in the Mahoning County.
To commemorate the day, fish were released into the school’s new pond located in the garden. Each class adopted a fish and is responsible for feeding the fish and maintaining the pond.
Pondscapes General Manager Louis Buchmann was on hand to talk to the students about the upkeep of the pond and its fish. The pond was built by Boardman’s Pondscapes, free of charge, and took more than 10 hours to complete.
“We tried to get it done in one day, but we were rained out, so it took us two days to complete,” said Buchmann.
Poland PTO donated half of the funds needed to purchase the materials to build the pond. PTO President Tammy Sabrin said the pond provides another avenue for students to have fun while learning.
“We want to support the school however we can and we thought, ‘What a wonderful experience for children to have their own pond,’” she said. “The courtyard is an essential part of learning for the summer months.”
North will receive a $500 grant from the Ohio Wildlife Division in the next few months. The funds will be used to purchase aquatic plants for the new pond and landscaping materials for the school garden.