Dripping in mud on a gloomy rainy day, Grade 12 students from Belmont secondary school earn their keep or in this case, their grad party.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a great way to help the environment and it makes the community look so much better,B次元官网网址� said Metchosin teen Courtney Guss.

About 20 students gearing up for grad spent a day in the mud planting native riparian plants at Glen Lake Park in Langford. The city gave the school $10,000 for its dry grad activities held at City Centre Park June 15 and in turn asked student volunteers to help with the project.

B次元官网网址淲e are very enthusiastic they are here,B次元官网网址� said Jane Waters, Langford park planner. B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 going to be their successors at the new Belmont (high school), who will come down here to enjoy water sports or for a biology or botany class.B次元官网网址�

The students planted skunk cabbage, iris flowers and sedges as part of the infiltration rain garden.

B次元官网网址淚nstead of us having culverts on the roads we are directing the water to the lake through the plants that uptake the toxins,B次元官网网址� said Waters.

Emily Besler-Dean was happy to volunteer her day carrying stones and building the rain garden.

B次元官网网址淭his is a great way for us to spend the day giving back to our community, itB次元官网网址檚 the least we can do for the donation from the city,B次元官网网址� said the Colwood teen.

Glen Lake Park, with a beach, playground, picnic tables and field, will officially open at the end of June.