MOOSEHEART, IL - Who knew Old Saint Nick had a pond in his pack? And that he'd be dropping it off Sept. 25, exactly three months before Christmas?

On Tuesday morning, Santa Claus (also known as CEO Greg Wittstock of St. Charles, IL-based Aquascape Inc.) landed a very heavy sleigh on the Mooseheart campus. By the end of the day, what had been a plain-vanilla grassy space in the center of the Mooseheart school building was literally transformed into a pond that will be the centerpiece of much student life in the months and years to come.

"It actually started because of Santa Claus," Wittstock said. "I came out (to Mooseheart) to play Santa Claus. Before that, my entire affiliation with Mooseheart was coming out there for weddings, never interacting with the kids. I was very impressed with the kids and their attitudes and manners."

From that 2006 initial encounter with Mooseheart, Wittstock knew he wanted to get involved in bringing something positive through St. Charles-based Aquascape to Mooseheart. Over lunch, Mooseheart Executive Director Scott Hart expressed a desire to add something that would enable the students some work-study opportunities.

From that discussion, nearly a dozen Mooseheart students attended Aquascape's "Pondemonium" training event over the summer for contractors and retailers.

The groundwork culminated Tuesday when a formerly grassy space in the middle of the Mooseheart school courtyard was transformed into a space where water is now flowing through one of Aquascapes environmentally-friendly pond units.

"It was a boring, grass courtyard with nothing in it," Wittstock said. "This will instantly transform this space into a beautiful ecosystem pond. You will not be able to look out any of these windows without being drawn to the sight and sound of moving water."

One of the many Mooseheart students lending their labor to the effort was senior Sam Rind, who attended the Pondemonium event.

"It's nice that we can add a nice feature to the school," Rind said. "It's something to enjoy and watch grow. It's going to be nice, when it's finished, to look at it and know that we built it."

Rind said he's aware future generations of Mooseheart students will benefit from the work put in by all the Child City's students.

"When I come back for my class reunion, I'm going to come here and I'll see the pond and I'll feel good that it'll be here for a long time," Rind said. "And I'll know that I had something to do with it."

Improving the courtyard in the center of the school should take a very underused portion of the school and turn it into a spot of more-frequent use. The pond will be formally dedicated on Oct. 6 as part of the Child City's Homecoming activities.

"This is a place where they kids can come out when the weather's nice, with their class, and learn about ecology or stream life," Hart said. "They can learn about how waterways play in our world today."

Wittstock said nature can reconnect to the courtyard through the pond. Birds and other animals, he said, will be drawn to a pond because of the water. The pond will be stocked with fish. Aquascape's pond features a system in which the water is kept clean in an environment-friendly manner. Maintenance on the pond will be minimal.

Hart said prairie grasses will be planted around the pond to further integrate it into the courtyard. "We can really make this an outdoor education center for the Mooseheart kids," Hart said.

Beyond the educational and environmental aspects of the pond, there is also the plain fact that the pond looks pretty. As Wittstock said, the Mooseheart students now have their own Monet pond in their own school setting.

"This is a nice, peaceful area where the kids can come out on their lunchtimes," Hart said. "We'll get some picnic tables out here and the kids can sit and listen to the waterfall and have a chance to relax and get away for a little bit and think things through that are going on in their life."

By the end of the day, the pond was essentially complete, though there is still work to be done.

"This will be like a Christmas tree without the decorations," Wittstock said. "It'll need the plants and the mulching and some other things. It'll look a little rough, but that's where the decorations come in."

If there's anything Santa Claus should know about, it's decorating trees. And while St. Nick and his team have gone once again -- of his generosity, no one will complain.