Surprise Nature Lesson at Johnson Elementary: Meet June ... or Juno
By Julie Perine on June 06, 2013
Throughout the springtime months, the second grade students of Mrs. Lorrie Why have learned some hands-on lessons about nature. From Why’s modular classroom at Johnson Elementary, her students have watched mother bunnies and birds nurture their young toward independency.It wasn’t planned. It was all Mother Nature’s doing, but it provided perfect opportunity for some curriculum on wildlife, Why said. Just the day after students were dismissed for the summer, another opportunity came along. This time, school faculty members and administration are doing the learning. Outside Why’s classroom, a tiny fawn – believed to have been born just Wednesday morning – was discovered.
“Our students just left and now we have a baby to take care of,” said Assistant Principal Heather Holbert. “Our school has turned into a nursery.”
Holbert received the news Wednesday morning from Police Officer Jamie Hamrick, who taped off the area where the fawn was found snuggled against a box which houses school utilities.
Throughout the day, teachers stopped by to check on the school’s new baby – which, by the way, will be named June if it’s a girl and Juno if it’s a boy.
At first, teachers were concerned that the fawn had been abandoned, but after Why did a little research, she posted some interesting information to share with her fellow educators.
From all indications, the fawn is safe and its mama – who hid it away from predators – will return after she goes away to clean herself up after giving birth. That is intentionally done away from the baby so that the smell won’t be detected by animals which could be of potential danger.
Then the doe will return to nurse, afterwards eating the fawn’s droppings to further protect it from predators.“Right now, the baby’s body doesn’t have any scent at all,” Why said.
The Johnson Elementary staff knows not to touch or bother the fawn in any way as to not disrupt nature’s plan.
On the last day of school, Why’s students went home with tadpoles which she had brought from her pool at home.
“I was hoping that would be a good lesson for the summer – watching them turn into frogs,” she said.
Now, through email correspondence and photos, they are getting an extra wildlife lesson, a very memorable one.
Update: Heather Holbert advised us at 7:45 a.m. Thursday that as had been expected, it appears that the mother deer returned for baby. The school was occupied Wednesday until 8 p.m. and the fawn was still snuggled in its spot. But when staff arrived Thursday morning, it was gone. Officer Jamie Hamrick advised Holbert that a doe had been spotted in the area last night.
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