Fishing has definitely been trending this year and has become a favorite hobby of many students at TBS. They would love to have a pond and be able to fish right at school. Seeing that the fishing club was the most coveted club on our campus, maybe it would make sense to build a pond on the Lower and Middle School campus too.

    While there would be many pros of having a pond on campus, there could also be a few cons. Let’s get the cons out of the way first. One con is that  kids could be distracted by a pond. Pointing to the basketball courts, eighth grader Juliet Woodard had a great idea to refute that con, saying, “They should put the pond somewhere back there.” This would be a good idea because it is barely viewable from any classroom, so kids cannot look at it during class. Another con could be that ponds are dangerous. Younger kids might get too close and accidentally fall in and drown. This would be a huge liability for the school. Another con would be the noise of the tools and machines used to build a pond. This could be disturbing to those trying to work and study. For example, if I were trying to take a test with loud machinery buzzing, there would be no way I would be able to focus. Perhaps the biggest con though, is cost. Stocking the pond with many different freshwater species fish would be a huge undertaking and expense. TBS would have to provide the fish and know which types would survive. If the pond were big enough, snook and tarpon would be a great addition. Although more expensive, these fish fight very hard which would be exciting for those fishing in the pond. If the pond were smaller, adding a variety of fish would be exciting as a different species of fish could be caught every time. Creating a manmade pond, stocking it with fish and maintaining this pond would cost some serious money. 

    Now that the cons are out of the way, let’s get into the pros. One pro is that the Fishing Club would have more time to do what they love to do-fish! Currently the club has to drive to the intercoastal which takes a lot of time. Having a pond close by would result in more time fishing and less time driving. Although the intercoastal has more fish than a pond, it is not a big enough benefit to justify the drive. For kids who are not in the fishing club but just enjoy fishing, the pond would be a place they could fish during break. Fishing has been proven to relieve stress, and as we all know, school can be stressful! It would be something relaxing for the kids, and also a way to make school more fun. Visiting the pond to fish gives students something to look forward to, which leads to another pro. This is proven on the site Toledo Bend Lake Country stating “fishing can be a great outdoor activity to free up your mind from the daily mental strain.” The next pro is for science. Seventh grader River Shapiro said, “Maybe it could be used for science projects.” The pond could be used for labs, experiments and STEM projects.  Eighth grader Tommy Morrissey thought the pond would prove useful in science class to build boats and “We can use that pond for driving them”. Another pro would be that a pond could teach students directly about ecosystems. Instead of reading about ecosystems in science, middle schoolers could actually visit and study one in real life. Students would be able to grow plants and make observations about the pond and life surrounding the pond which would also be a pro.  It could cultivate many other clubs for the school as well as serve as a way for students to gain service hours by keeping it clean.  

    Fishing teaches many life lessons like patience, perseverance and problem solving. It builds character and touches on all twelve values of TBS. Although building a pond could be an expensive endeavor, some would argue it would support everything our school stands for.