The construction near the circle may seem to be causing distress to students and teachers because of the limited parking, but the construction is creating something extremely beneficial for the environment. After all of the construction, only lasting about two months, a beautiful rain garden will be evident. The project all began with that simple fact that Haddonfield Memorial High School’s environmental club has a partnership with the Camden County Soil Conservation who play an integral part in installing rain gardens and monitoring water quality in our town. The soil conservation group played a major role in monitoring and helping Hopkins Pond become more healthy: there are now diffusers in the pond to help circulate dissolved oxygen. Although just appearing now, the location and idea of this rain garden “has been known for at least two years”, remarked Mr. Smith, the environmental teacher at HMHS who leads a major role in the rain garden’s construction. Simply put, it took time to gather fundings and navigate its planning. The spot originally was covered with trees foiled with vines and invasive species. So, when the trees were finally cut down, many invasive species still remained, which made it an ideal area for a rain garden to be constructed. The spot is also ideal because it has the opportunity to drain back into the area near Hopkins Pond; also, the garden provides an aesthetic appeal that will be known to all residents and visitors at HMHS. The Camden County Soil Conservation helped secure the funding, while Rutgers University completed the design for the garden. A construction crew was hired to do the digging and layering of the rock; the planting is the most comprehensive aspect, including mulching. Most of the planting, of about 150 plants, will be completed through volunteers from the environmental club and classes. Furthermore, the upper portion of the area, laid with crushed white stone currently, is eventually going to be transformed into an outdoor classroom.The rain garden includes many benefits for our surrounding environment: it catches run off during storms, slows down erosive energy, traps sediments, allows plants to take up an excess of water, and increases the amount of water percolating and infiltrating into the ground. The garden should be completed in October, but the next couple of springs will allow one to see the most abundant plant growth. Throughout , managing vegetation and the mulching will play an integral part in the rain garden’s success.