BY PAT FARNELLI
Jody Molenko, sixth grade teacher, shows progress in raising funds for elephant adoption at Lathrop Street Elementary School.
Wanna buy an elephant?
Sixth grade students in the Lathrop Street Elementary School have been raising funds to adopt an elephant, and in the process, to partner with conservationists and learn how simple efforts can benefit animals and their caretakers.
Jody Molenko, a long term science substitute at the Lathrop Street school, was looking for a project her students might find inspiring.
She remembered adopting a manatee named “Star” when she was a child, and then recalled seeing a special about the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee on TV in 2009.
After a little research on the Internet, she told her four sections of sixth graders about the sanctuary, and suggested they raise money to help support an elephant. She was hoping to raise at least $100, which is the donation amount for which the sanctuary will send a photo and information package about a particular elephant.
After two weeks, the students surprised her by surpassing their goal and collecting $475. By the end of the fundraising period, and led by Elizabeth Burke, Rudy Gonzalez, and Brittany Bennett, they had raised more than $740: enough to adopt four elephants, one for each class, as well as funds for special treats for the pachyderms, and an opportunity to take a virtual tour of the sanctuary, with time allotted for the specific animals they had adopted. They would also be able to speak to animal keepers and ask them questions about their adopted elephants. For example, a favorite snack (most elephants really like a watermelon).
“The Elephant Sanctuary provides refuge for elderly circus elephants, or elephants that zoos can no longer afford to feed,” Molenko explained. “The students were able to pick the elephant that we want to give our money to, and in turn the sanctuary will send us an 8×10 photograph and biography of “our elephants.”
Austin Doloway, left, works on his elephant pottery mug in art class, along with Jessica Parrish.
Molenko said the project was a great introduction to the next two chapters in the science text, which focuses on biomes and ecosystems.
“I thought it would be a great idea if we adopted a wild animal. With your generous contributions we can help provide daily feed and medical care for an individual elephant of our choice in Tennessee,” she explained in a letter sent home to parents.
Her father helped with the graphic arts part of the project: a large elephant poster, with peanuts representing donation dollars. The chart was posted near the school entrance, so others could follow the classes’ progress.
Molenko asked the children to consider the fate of circus-performing elephants. “When years of captivity finally wear on a performing elephant, or when a petting zoo or community zoo can no longer afford to keep the elephants, many of these animals end their days in the most miserable conditions,” she told them.
The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee is the nation’s largest natural habitat refuge developed specifically for endangered African and Asian elephants. It costs $125,000 a year to provide sanctuary for just one elephant.
The Elephant Sanctuary is a non-profit organization that receives no state or federal funding, so they rely almost entirely on private contributions from animal lovers.
The Elephant Sanctuary was featured on CBS and the Oprah show in 2009 for the famous friendship of Tarra and Bella. Tarra is a 34-year-old Asian elephant and Bella is a rescued mixed-breed dog. Despite their differences, they are absolutely inseparable. More information is available at their website: www.elephants.com.
Molenko, who lives in Brooklyn, is a graduate of Mountain View High School and Marywood University, where she majored in education with a concentration in math and science.
Be the first to comment on "Lathrop Street kids raise funds for elephants"