It's not every day that students are honored for dirty work.

But that's exactly what happened Wednesday when school officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the students who got their hands dirty constructing, planting, and maintaining two cranberry bogs at the Wareham Middle School this spring.

“We thought it was important to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony, because it is a monumental project for STEAM,” said STEAM instructor and mathematics teacher Julie Walker. “More importantly, we wanted the community to come see what we have been doing.”

The STEAM Academy, which focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts and humanities, and mathematics, has been nurturing the cranberry bog since its ground breaking on April 8. Wednesday morning saw the bog’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, which the public was invited to attend.

Walker said she was pleased with the turnout.

“We had parents, grandparents, members of the Chamber of Commerce, Selectmen, School Committee,” Walker said. “So many people came out to see the project.”

“We presented them with a photo collage of the project, from the ground breaking all the way to the sign that was installed the other day,” Walker said.

Walker sees the bog as a great educational tool for all ages, and said every teacher in the Wareham Public School system, from science to the arts to mathematics, is invited to use the space as an outdoor classroom.

“There are so many different applications, more than we even have lesson plans designed for, at this point,” Walker said.