Apollo the bearded dragon sitting on the hammock in his tank. (Juliana Almodovar)
Apollo the bearded dragon sitting on the hammock in his tank. (Juliana Almodovar)

Students experience a turtle-y different way of learning

March 21, 2022

Every year,animals in room A374 live side by side with the students in the Animal Behavior class and Animal Club. Did you know those animals were there? The animals in the classroom consist of a tortoise, bearded dragon, two hermit crabs, three crested geckos, a painted turtle, a corn snake and a cockatiel named Luna. They’re here for an unique opportunity to learn as well as a fun environment in which students are educated.

“I think it’s a really fun and special experience that we have here at York, I think at times it can be a bit chaotic with all the animals but overall I think it’s a really unique learning experience,” senior Milan Sasaki said. 

Students are constantly working to gain new opportunities and new animals, especially those in Animal Club.

“Animal Club raised money to buy an axolotl and the tank for it which is really cool, and all we have to do now is find the actual axolotl,” Cynthia Zentner, Animal Behavior teacher and Animal Club sponsor said.

Animal club is only a portion of what the animals are apart of; if you really want to learn more about animals and be more involved with them, you may want to look into the Animal Behavior class. 

“In the class, they do observational labs which they incorporate into the units. They have a unit where they train the animals in any way that they want using a specific method that they choose,” Zentner said. 

Not only are the animals directly involved with the class but you can also sign up to take them home over breaks and the weekend.

“Students volunteer to take home the animals during winter, summer and spring break, and every month one person volunteers to take Luna home for the weekend,” Zentner said.

Tank the russian tortoise walking around his habitat. (Juliana Almodovar)

Students all around York may benefit from joining Animal Club or Animal Behavior if they’re interested in the study of animals or even animals in general; sophomore Brandon Felix agrees.

“I think it is very interesting to have an area in the school designated to the study of these animals. It sounds like a cool concept and I think it’s a great way to get students involved in this specific field of study,” Felix said.

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