Published Tuesday, April 08, 2008 2:08 PM
Updated Tuesday, April 08, 2008 2:08 PM

 

What a zoo!

Summerville Elementary proves learning comes from more than books


From the street, Summerville Elementary School looks like any other school with bricks, mortar, fenced playgrounds and minivans parked out front. But you get a hunch as you walk into the front entrance of the school and hear the sounds of a parrot and a cockatiel in close proximity, that things might be a little different in this school. It’s not until you enter the office and look out the windows beyond that you notice something a little out of the ordinary.

At first glance, you might not think you really saw a goat on the roof. The fact is, you did.

“I brought the first goat here shortly after I started here as principal,” says Dr. Gene Sires, who has been at the school for well over twenty years. “I bought a goat that turned out to be pregnant. It wasn’t long before we had three goats.”

Sires seems to understand that giving kids an opportunity to grow up around other living things is a valuable learning tool on many levels.

As he opens the window to his office, one of the goats jumps up to the window and sticks her head in. It’s clear she’s been here many times.

“That’s Annie,” Sires says enthusiastically. “She wants some Chex Party Mix. It’s her favorite.”

Over the years, the animal population at Summerville Elementary has grown to include lots of goats and an impressive assortment of other creatures including a sheep and a lamb, lots of chickens and ducks, numerous rabbits, three turkey hens, two peacocks, pheasants, pigeons, ring-tailed doves and even some less recognizable creatures. The school is home to five Patagonian cavys  – a creature that looks like a cross between a rabbit and a deer, makes sounds like a guinea pig, and happens to be the second largest rodent in South America.

Pat Hess, the Petting Zoo supervisor at the school says several of the classrooms also have a critter called a degu.

“We had a few to start with, but as they multiplied, different classrooms adopted the new ones. They look a lot like mice, but they have fur on their tails. They’re very sweet.”

Of course, Hess can’t care for all these animals by herself, so every year, interested fifth graders apply to be volunteers for the next year. The selections for volunteers are made through an application process, and the goal is to have eight volunteers from each homeroom class.

According to Sires, there is never a shortage of students who want to volunteer to work with the animals.

So if you’re ever visiting the school and find yourself walking side by side with a duck or a chicken as you cross the breezeway, it’s really not your imagination. It’s a learning experience many of us wish we had when we were kids.

Contact Sharon Gnau at 873-9424, ext. 215 or sgnau@journalscene.com