The OWLS project was started last school year by science teacher Chris Bellar. Students still contribute to the OWLS site. Bellar offered work days where students could come in and do some yard work. Many classes are involved, including the Advanced Biology class who started a pollinator garden and the Ag Mechanics class who built a shed for the site.
“It was fun building,” sophomore Tanya Ivie said. “It feels good knowing that I helped build something that is going to be at the school for a while.”
Ivie said the shed will store the work supplies to keep the site organized.
For the work days, students helped put in a bridge over the drainage ditch, pulled weeds, laid down mulch, and planted native species.
“Putting in the koi pond and the rocks for the waterfall was my favorite part of working on the OWL site,” junior Isaac Winter said.
Bellar says the student body has put at least 250 hours of work into the site, and he still has plans for it.
“As we speak, an amphitheater is being built by donations from a lot of businesses and people in the community,” he said. “I’m hoping to plant more prairie along the entire drainage ditch.”
Bellar said he hopes the grade school, middle school, and community get some use out of the amphitheater.
“People can just stop in and enjoy the outdoors,” he said.
