Two groups of Les Cheneaux Elementary School fifth grade students placed the two picnic tables they made on Government Island earlier this summer.

Visitors to Government Island this summer may have noticed the new picnic tables featured at two of the island's campsites. The tables were built by Les Cheneaux Community School's fifth grade class and delivered there by barge early this summer as part of a service day at the island.

The students made the tables to apply what they learned in social studies about doing things "for the common good" of all people. Teachers Kathy Tassier and Laurie Pearson taught their students about the seven core democratic values based on the fundamental freedoms of United States citizens expressed in the Declaration of Independence and in the Bill of Rights.

Fifth grade students from Les Cheneaux Elementary School can’t wait to embark for Government Island on a boat operated by Dustin Tassier (back, left), son of fifth grade teacher Kathy Tassier. He assisted the students, their teachers, and parents with the placement of two picnic tables on Government Island. The students learned about American's rights and liberties, like life, the pursuit of happiness, equality, personal property, right to petition the government, freedom of free speech and assembly, and common good, and how those rights influence the choices people make. Students learned that "common good" means that individual citizens have the commitment and motivation to work together to do good things for the whole community. People pay taxes to support schools and municipal services like fire departments, parks, and community centers. Schools have rules intended to protect everyone, like returning books to the library and not throwing food at lunch.

Les Cheneaux Community Schools student Kyle Litten places screws in the top of a picnic table, with the assistance of teacher Kathy Tassier. Last year’s fifth grade class assembled tables for Government Island. "Together we make our community better," Mrs. Tassier said. "When our community does things better, other communities want to do things better too. Soon our whole state is better, and then our whole country, and finally, the whole world."

The students of the two classes selected the project, and raised and donated money to buy a metal frame for one of the picnic tables. The other frame was donated by Taylor Lumber of Cedarville. Haske Post and Thick-N-Thin Lumber, both of Cedarville, donated wood to construct the surface and seats of the tables. Cedarville Marine provided the barge to take the tables to Government Island. Fifth grade class representatives learned how to get people to pitch in by working to get donations and publicity on their own.

The project ultimately spanned several subjects, including economy, business, charity work, government, construction, and project coordination.

"As we worked on raising money for our picnic tables, I was reminded of how we studied economics this year. We talked about supply and demand. We discussed the factors of production, like our natural resources," Mrs. Tassier said. "We used a natural resource, wood, to build our picnic tables. We are surrounded here and on the island by some incredible natural resources."

The 200-acre Government Island is a favorite destination for boaters, kayakers, and campers, and a natural harbor off the island provides shelter for anchored boats during the summer. It is the only publicly owned island in the 36 Les Cheneaux Islands along the north shore of Lake Huron.

The island is almost totally covered with mature forest, which shrouds shady camping sites, picnic areas, and hiking trails around the island. The island rises from lake level to a 50-foot plateau in the middle of the island, which slopes down to rocky beaches on the north and east shores. The west shore features a sandy beach that stretches less than one-half mile around the island.

The island can only be accessed by boat, which makes it a secluded and novel destination. Increasing use and publicity, however, have identified the island as a destination for tourists. It is often mentioned in tourism publications and boating magazines.

During the picnic table project, Mrs. Tassier reminded the students how lucky they are that the island was set aside for public use, and tied their work to lessons about land use decisions.

"The earth is only made up of so much land. We cannot change that, but we can work together to care for the land that we share," she said.

The Hiawatha National Forest Service is responsible for maintaining Government Island, and has been able to keep it clean with partnerships between the Forest Service and Clark Township, organizations like The Nature Conservancy, Les Cheneaux Area Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, the Natural Resources Task Force of the Les Cheneaux Community Forum, and now students at Les Cheneaux Community Schools.

During a picnic with the students celebrating the project's completion, Mrs. Tassier charged the students with continuing "to look for ways to make the world a better place."

"Working for the common good is a powerful thing," she told them. "When you as an individual work for the common good, you make yourself better, and in doing so, you also make those around you better."

(Photograph courtesy of Kathy Tassier)