Waverly School: Earth’s Eye

“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” ~Thomas Fuller, 1732

Maybe Eli (dad of Hannah, 1st grade) was thinking along these lines last summer, when he decided to adopt our poor, forlorn, empty farm pond. Eli single-handedly hauled several tons (literally) of rock, concrete and brick out of the pond, removed the old liner, smoothed out the bottom, and added a layer of sand and a new, sturdy liner. Then, we turned the pond over to the Purple Pelicans, who, in light of their “Coastlines and Communities” theme built us a new coastline of cattails, papyrus and water lilies. The pond is back, and already it is a magical and serene spot.

“A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” ~Henry David Thoreau (King of the pond, after all)

Thank you, Eli, for giving us the benefit of your hard labor. The children are drawn to our pond like a magnet– watching, studying, and wondering. Gazing into earth’s eye. –Barbara Ayers, Farm Manager