Incoming seventh-graders at Henry Middle School have spent their summer creating something beautiful and educational for their campus.

Teacher Terry Moore and his students have spent three weeks building a garden at the school, thanks to donated funds. The garden consists of 15 planters and a pond with a bridge. The students studied plant lifecycles, germination, and pollination before they chose the plants they wanted to nurture. They then took to constructing, digging, painting, and planting to bring the garden to fruition.

“This is a huge undertaking for the kids,” said Moore.

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Moore said he views the project as way of taking the classroom outdoors and instilling a sense of accomplishment in his students. He hopes the project will bring unity to his classroom before the students even begin the school year.

“This is an opportunity for us to become a group that acknowledges each other’s strengths and weaknesses and to become closer as a class,” he said.

The garden project will continue into the school year. Once school resumes in August, the plant-oxygenated pond will become home to various fish, and the students will be in charge of the garden.