Former Conestoga student builds pergola for school

  Anders Nordstrom was considering ideas for his Eagle Scout project earlier this year when his attention turned to his former elementary school.

   Anders wanted to give back to Conestoga Elementary, which he attended from first through sixth grades, so he talked with school officials and decided to build a pergola behind the school.

   After nearly a year of planning and design work, Anders, fellow members of Boy Scout Troop 146 and volunteers completed the massive wooden pergola, which stands over two benches near the school’s community gardens, in mid-November.

   “The finished project looks very nice, and I am incredibly happy with the result,” Anders said. “Seeing it up all in one piece really is amazing, especially after a year of planning.”

  The project was truly a community effort, with friends, family and local businesses assisting the Boy Scouts by contributing labor, funds and/or materials. Among the companies that helped out were Advantage Meter Concrete, Broderick’s Landscape Contracting, Lezzer Lumber and Penn Stone.

   Shortly after work began in October, Anders ran into a glitch when the crew wasn’t able to dig a deep enough hole for one of the support footers. So they relocated the project to a more suitable site.

   “The pergola is a great addition to the garden program and Edible Classroom, which provides lessons to all students at Conestoga,” said Scot Keddie, Conestoga principal.

    The pergola will provide a shade structure for garden education programs during the school year and in the summer.

   “We love that students and staff can enjoy this gathering space all year ‘round,” said Beth Horst, co-founder of Edible Classroom.

    Anders, now a senior at Penn Manor High School, plans to study geology in college and pursue a career as a paleontologist.

   Many thanks to Anders for his contribution to Conestoga Elementary!

  • The work crew that built the pergola
  • Workers complete the top portions of the pergola
  • Anders Nordstrom with Conestoga students under the completed pergola