Connecticut School Kids Help Spread the Word on Florida Panthers
At Oxford Center School in southern Connecticut, most of the kids in Miss Ogle's 5th grade class were familiar with Florida, or at least parts of it. When asked, almost all said they had visited the state at least once to visit some of the theme parks located in the central part of the state or to visit friends or family in different areas. Typically each associated Florida with beaches, thrill rides, airplanes and crowds of people enjoying the same things they and their families love about our state.
However, until recently none of the children were familiar with the endangered Florida panther. How things can change in a day! On May 11, Friends member Lisa Ostberg was given the opportunity to visit the class to teach them about panthers and what they can do to educate others and help save these amazing creatures.
During the day, the kids experienced a mini-version of what school kids in southwest Florida experience through the Panther Posse program. They learned about the biology of panthers, where panthers live today, why the cats are endangered, threats to their continued survival, and how they as kids can help educate others and assist us in our efforts to promote the survival of these rare predators.
Enthusiastic hardly begins to describe the class' response: everyone had a great time! Throughout the day, the children used panther print wands to play interactive Q&A, measured themselves from top to bottom to see how they compare to the average panther in size, and enjoyed a series of photos of panthers, their habitats, how biologists work to track and monitor the remaining panther population, and the various ecosystems in which panthers make their homes.
"It was so great to see the kids so excited about a new science topic and see them want to get involved in helping to save the Florida panther" said their teacher, Dian Ogle. "We were able to motivate them to teach at least three other people outside school what they've learned about panthers. All the kids designed and created educational posters that were hung in the main hall of our school. Not only that, but the kids were so excited about panthers that they re-named their class quidditch team Blue Florida Panthers and went on to win the annual school championship as kids from other classes chanted "Go Panthers!" from the sidelines. Needless to say, this prompted some learning experiences for those children as well. It's been wonderful to see their enthusiasm!"
This summer, many of the children have signed up to receive panther e-mail updates and some of the class, including Samantha and Laura have been in email contact with the Friends group to ask more questions about what's happening with the cats, and they have involved classmates Rodrigo and Zach in their efforts. Samantha and her family will be visiting Florida this July, and says she will be doing her best to watch for panthers and teach even more people about how important saving them is to all of us.
Thank you to everyone in the class for helping us in our mission!
4th Grader Gillian Predmore of NY, Hosts Panther Party and Donates to the Friends and the Florida Panther.
Gillian Predmore, a 4th grader, decided that she wanted to host a Panther Birthday Party this year, and encouraged donations to saving the Florida Panther. Cynthia (mom) helped Gillian make t-shirts saying "I care! You should too!" seen above in the photo. Below is a letter that Cynthia wrote to President Tom Murray:
Tom,
Thank you so very much for the wonderful box of goodies you sent for Gillian's party. She is so excited. Your personal involvement and encouragement has been terrific. She really feels good that she is doing her part to help an animal she loves. I have attached two pictures of her in the T shirt I'm making to give to all of her friends. I am not the best photographer so there is a big glare on the panther, but you can still get the idea. Gillian designed the layout and made up the slogan. I thought it was powerful. We'll give you more of an update after her party on Saturday. Again, thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Predmore
