Woodrow “Woody” Monte Returns for Pond Dedication

Woodrow “Woody” Monte, the former Upper School CA science instructor for whom Woody’s Pond was named, visited with fourth graders today to discuss the history of the pond.
 
Now Professor Emeritus of Food Science and Nutrition at Arizona State University and author of the book, While Science Sleeps, Woody told students how the pond was a “mud hole” before they dug it out and installed a six-ton 10,000 gallon diesel fuel tank. The tank, a project Woody is best known for, served as an underwater observation and science lab.
 
“Instead of getting the pond into the classroom,” says Woody of the experience, “I wanted to get the classroom into the pond.”
 
Known by many former students for inspiring the love of science, Woody’s underwater observation was dismantled in 1985 due to leaks. Most recently, the pond, which has collected decades of irrigation run-off water and sediment, was restored to a more natural habitat with flora and fauna native to the area. According to Woody, it looks better than it ever has and is being put to its “best use.”
 
“They’ve got the right grade level in there,” says Woody who taught ninth grade science at CA from 1969-1972. “It’s best to be introduced to the kind of Biology that’s in the pond at a young age. You start getting interested in the critters in the pond when you’re at that age, and then it lasts for the rest of your life.”
 
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