Willow Glen Resident

Education

Photograph by Brian Connelly

Another World: Happy Hollow Park and Zoo education specialist Shannon Noll has first-graders (front left) Emili Salazar, Victor Hernandez and Rodrigo Esparza represent an insect's three body parts: head, thorax and abdomen.

First-graders learn cockroaches, black millipedes are decomposers

By Lisa Neves Woldt

First-graders in Karen Shah's Willow Glen Elementary School class sit in rapt attention as Happy Hollow education specialist Shannon Noll handles Giza the hedgehog.

"She's a little grumpy today," Noll says as Giza bites her gloved fingers.

An insect-eating animal, Giza is a highlight of insect class, the last of a four-part series, "Who's That Animal?" The other classes focus on reptiles, mammals and birds.

During this class, the children sit patiently as the live creatures are brought out. Besides Giza, other visitors include Madagascar hissing cockroaches called Kadradraka, a giant African black millipede named Recycle because he is a "decomposer," and a Mexican red-kneed tarantula named Araña, which means spider in Spanish.

As a Title I school, Willow Glen is eligible for the program through the Jim Ward Scholarship Fund established at Happy Hollow Park and Zoo.

The scholarship, named for former zoo tour guide and docent Jim Ward, began shortly after his death in 1999. In lieu of flowers, his wife, Joan, suggested donations be made in his name to Happy Hollow. The fund was established so children without means could participate in the zoo's educational programs.

Some of the organizations eligible for the scholarship include Loaves and Fishes, Families First and the San Jose Family Shelter.

"Those are the ones that we really wanted to try and help," Ward says.

Ward says she is surprised by the scholarship's longevity. She thought funds would last only about a year. But contributions from local businesses and private individuals helped it grow. "I'm amazed at how long it has gone on and how it has just ballooned," she says.

Noll, who joined Happy Hollow's educational department just after Jim Ward's death, says the fund continues to grow because it is such a worthwhile cause.

"Jim's passion for teaching children about animals resonates with many people," she says.

Her husband never intended to become a docent, says Joan Ward, who lives in Willow Glen.

Jim Ward worked at IBM in 1990 and offered to help Happy Hollow with its computer problems. By the time he arrived, Ward says, the problems were fixed, but her husband was told "they were in desperate need of docents." After taking a class, he began to work part time with children and animals, visiting schools and giving tours.

The program for Willow Glen Elementary began last October and includes all five first-grade classes. Noll keeps the hour-long period interesting with "biofacts" (biological artifacts) and other activities.

For instance, three children stand up to represent an insect's three body parts. The "head" wears oversized glasses; the "thorax" holds its six legs and the "abdomen" wears a helmet representing the exoskeleton. In another activity, they become entomologists asked to classify the plastic bug they are given.

First-grade teacher Lisa D'Souza discovered Happy Hollow's educational program while looking at ways to satisfy the curriculum's science requirements.

"This class is great for the kids because it's easy to remember things when they can see it and touch it," she says.

The science program will culminate with the students writing an informational report. This exercise introduces students in the lower grades to research skills that will be necessary during their upper school years, D'Souza says.

The program overlaps other disciplines as well.

"Learning classifications also extends to math groupings and helps in language arts," D'Souza says.

Noll uses entomologically correct terms, which are explained and repeated throughout the class. D'Souza says it is important for the children to learn actual terminology instead of "baby" words.

The cockroaches, also decomposers, provide a perfect example for Noll to explain the insect's ecological impact on the environment. D'Souza says, " It illustrates the relationship between all living things, and how we all need to work together to save the planet."

In the end first-graders are most impressed with the live animals, especially the giant millipede, cockroach and tarantula. Trevor, a self-appointed spokesperson for the class, says simply, "That was so awesome!"