When most people think about a class pet, the image of a hamster or chinchilla may come to mind.
For students attending Saint Teresa Regional School, Runnemede, their concept of a class pet transcends the classroom, all while teaching them important lessons about animal conservation.
Youngsters in the pre-K3 and pre-K4 classes recently adopted an African penguin, which spends his days hanging out with fellow penguins and greeting visitors at Adventure Aquarium in Camden. His name is Myer, and his identification band is number 12.
The adoption came about amidst an annual January lesson plan that includes teaching the little ones about penguins – and it also harkens back to a student experience years ago.
“You just never know what small thing can spark someone’s future,” Price said.
“We at Saint Teresa’s School have been adopting animals off and on for years – we’ve adopted wombats, turtles, giraffes … anytime we read a story with animals as the star, we would adopt one,” said librarian Linda Price. “When the second grade found out if we adopted a penguin we could actually visit [it] at the Adventure Aquarium, we jumped on that idea. That was years ago, and one little guy just loved the idea of visiting ‘his’ penguin.”
That “little guy” was Alex McCafferty, who now works at Adventure Aquarium and is in charge of coordinating adoptions like this.
McCafferty’s mother, Laura, is the school’s pre-K3 teacher. When she was talking with Price about planning their lesson on penguins, the pair started reminiscing about Alex and his fond memories of his second-grade class adopting a penguin. They decided to involve the pre-K4 class, as well, to bring more students in on the fun.
“The students were very excited,” Laura McCafferty said. “With the adoption, you get a print from a penguin painting, [and] they loved that. You also get a stuffed animal, which represents our penguin – of course they loved that.”
She added that Price generously purchased small penguins for each student, so they could have their own to commemorate their class adoption.
Beyond a fun activity for the classes, funds from the adoption support healthy care of penguins around the world – driving home a powerful lesson about the importance of animal conservation, McCafferty explained.
The classes also learned all about their adopted penguin, and notably one of his quirks at the aquarium.
“The card that came with the adoption let them know that Myer likes to switch his nest area between three areas in the exhibit,” she said. “They thought it was super funny that his keepers have to remind him that he does not own all of the exhibit.”
The adoption process helped make the topic of animal conservation personal, and let the youngsters immerse themselves in the lives of their adopted penguin.
“Instead of just hearing about what penguins in the wild do, they got to get a better understanding of how a penguin at the aquarium lives,” McCafferty said. “In addition, they got to see how penguins have personalities and that they can be just like a preschooler when it comes to having a hard time sharing and thinking that everything belongs to just them.”
She added that the school is working to plan a special experience for the preschoolers.
“We are in the beginning stages of planning a field trip to the aquarium so the students can see the penguins,” she said.
Melissa Patterson, event manager at Adventure Aquarium, said that the adoption program – which is very popular and also includes sharks, sea turtles and hippos – has a positive effect on the animals, too.
“Proceeds from our adoptions help to support conservation funds for these animals,” she said. “For the African penguins in particular, adoptions help to strengthen our support and relationship of the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).”
Patterson said the adoption program is designed to engage guests – from adults to preschoolers – in their mission to be stewards and advocates for the environment and the animal world.
“Each and every one of us can have a positive impact on the world around us, whether that’s by donating money or time, or just helping to spread the word and educate others,” she said. “These adoptions allow guests to learn more about our incredible animals here at Adventure Aquarium, while also helping to support the conservation of animals around the world.”
To learn more about adoption opportunities and to consider getting involved, visit adventureaquarium.com/acts/conservation/animal-adoptions.
at the bottom and then tap “Add to Home Screen”
