Emmie Squire, 11, is not afraid to drape a large snake over her shoulders, nor is she grossed out by feeding the reptile – named Checkers – dead mice.
Squire has always loved animals, but got the chance to get up close and personal through Matoaka Elementary School’s Living Wedge. The Living Wedge is a nature center housed within a triangular atrium at the school, complete with insects, fish, lizards and snakes.
The Living Wedge, which opened in 2010, was rededicated at an event last week. Just like the flora and fauna it houses, the center has grown and thrived thanks to the generosity of the community that supports it.
The space now includes microscopes and computers that Principal Andy Jacobs allowed teachers to extend lessons into the Living Wedge from the classroom, making it a learning site for all. Grades kindergarten through fifth experience the Living Wedge in some way, whether it is learning to estimate weight and measurement with a lizard, or engaging in a reading and writing activity about a tortoise.
“We’re always searching for opportunities to support the tradition curriculum, but also enrich and extend it,” Jacobs said.
The updated Living Wedge also features new homes for snakes and lizards, which Jacobs said are a step up from simple fish tanks. With more room for critters to move and exhibit natural behavior, they create the feeling of walking through a museum.
All of the improvements aim to make the center a more tactile experience, akin to the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News.
Fifth grade teacher John Spence, the brainchild behind the Living Wedge, said many of his students do not have the means to travel to the museum or zoo. He wanted to share the animals – many of whom had previously lived in his classroom – and the experience with the whole student body.
As a boy, Spence terrorized his mother by bringing home creatures that excited his curiosity. After coming to Matoaka Elementary more than four years ago, Spence proposed the idea of a nature center to Jacobs, who jumped at the idea.
“I only wish I had the opportunity when I was their age,” Spence said of his students, whose diligence drives the project to keep moving forward.
As a member of the Living Wedge club, Squire is among a group of dedicated fifth-grade science whiz kids who arrive 40 minutes early to school to feed and keep records on the animals.
The students are not the only ones to support the expansion of the project: Matoaka Elementary’s PTA and members of the community stepped up to raise $2,500 to fund improvements.
Spence is not ready to rest on his laurels. Up next, he hopes to add a saltwater touch tank with starfish and bivalves.
See a video tour of the Living Wedge and some of its animals from 2011 here.
Tabb High Students Learn About Nuclear Power from Navy Soldiers
Sailors from the local U.S. Navy recruiting district visited Tabb High School’s Navy National Defense Cadet Corps/Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps unit on Thursday. The NNDCC program is modeled on NJROTC, and is designed to teach students the values of citizenship, service to the U.S., personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.
As part of the York County School Division’s transformative learning initiatives, the soldiers provided an orientation on nuclear power plant engineering.
Two of the three sailors are nuclear power specialists, and have served as nuclear engineers on numerous Navy Aircraft Carriers. The team is attached to Naval Recruiting District Richmond and operates from local offices.
WCA Welcomes 1,000th Tour Guest, Mini Pig
Williamsburg Christian Academy has offered their “Catch the Vision” admission tour once a month for the last seven school years. Last Thursday, Betty Pratt was the school’s 1,000th attendee.
There was cake and a performance by WCA’s young cheerleaders, the Eaglettes, to mark the occasion. Pratt is a WCA grandparent whose granddaughter is a member of the squad.
This week, WCA welcomed another special visitor: Miss Apple Bottom, a 7-week-old mini pot belly pig. The animal spent the day with preschool students.
