Tahoma Junior High students build a garden to catch and clean rain | Slide Show by Curtis Cannon

A group of students at Tahoma Junior High know what to do with rain water – build a rain garden. Peter Donaldson from Friends of the Cedar River Watershed put the project together for the students. Todd Baker, a teacher at the school, gathered a group of students to build the project.

By Dennis Box • October 14, 2010 11:06 pm
Grace Montgomery works on planting in the Tahoma Junior High rain garden project Sept. 28.
Grace Montgomery works on planting in the Tahoma Junior High rain garden project Sept. 28.

A group of students at Tahoma Junior High know what to do with rain water – build a rain garden.

Peter Donaldson from Friends of the Cedar River Watershed put the project together for the students.

Todd Baker, a teacher at the school, gathered a group of students to build the project.

Baker said in an e-mail, “the purpose of a rain garden is to absorb the rain water coming out of the gutters. The special garden soaks up the water, storing the water and removing toxins so the toxin filled water does not wind up in our rivers, lakes and the dying Puget Sound.”

Ashton Ohms, 14, who shot video during the project said it was his “first real community service project. It was a really cool project.”

Ohms said the students planted native plants including strawberries during the Sept. 28 project.

Curtis Cannon, 14, who was the photographer of the event said, “It was fun. It took all the school day. We got pretty dirty. There was a lot of compost.”

Students at Rock Creek Elementary planted a rain garden at the district office.

The junior high students involved in the project were Cannon, Anthony Brenneman, Ansley Caulkins, Marcus Coselman, Ben Garson, Riley Haacke, Michelle Kang, Grace Montgomery, Ohms, Josh Paragas, Jordan Thompson, Kassidy Ulmer and Sarah Wheeler.