Science Focus Program (Zoo School)

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The Zoo School is a part of Lincoln Public Schools and acts as a alternate school for high school students. It is located at the Lincoln Children's Zoo and is defined as "a small community of mature learners participating both in a traditional and non-traditional style of learning. A place where students play an active role in defining their learning environment and education."

1 Staff
2 Campus
3 Schedules
4 History
5 External links

[edit] Staff

The Science Focus Program has 5 teachers:

Jim Barstow, social sciences.

Beth Briney, English and communication.

Sara LeRoy Toren, natural sciences.

Mark James, chemistry, physics, physical science, and astronomy.

Grace Aubert, mathematics.

In addition, Susan Musick serves as secretary and Dick Spearman is the administrator.

[edit] Campus

Zoo School's open campus is tucked behind the Zoo Cafe and Discovery Building, or "Disco." The two portables house the computer lab, math room, and English classroom. The Camelot Commons houses the social science and natural science classrooms. There are picnic tables set up around the pond by the portables for lunch. During the winter, students eat inside the portables. The Zoo uses the portables and the Disco for educational purposes during the summer.

[edit] Schedules

The Zoo School runs on an A-day, B-day block schedule, the A-days consisting of Monday and Thursday, and the B-days Tuesday and Friday. Wednesdays are reserved as "Focus days," during which students learn from guest speakers, go on field trips, catch up on accelerated classes, or work on their year-long science or history research projects. Lunch lasts for about forty minutes, between the second and the third of the class blocks, in which students from the sophomore level up can leave campus. All students may purchase food from the Safari Cafe, while the zoo is open.

[edit] History

The idea for the Science Focus Program originated in 1995. Teachers met and worked part time planning for the Zoo School, and part time teaching at their high schools. The original teachers were Jim Barstow, social sciences, Deb Sharp, English, De Tonack, math and physics, and Jane Obbink, natural sciences. Since then, Beth Briney came the second year to replace Deb Sharp, and Jane has since moved to Alaska, and was replaced by Sara LeRoy-Toren.

The main idea for the focus program was to give students an alternative to regular high school. The teachers' vision consisted of a place where students could come and feel welcome and comfortable enough to express their individual talents and ideas.

The school opened for the 1997-1998 school year, accepting juniors and seniors. Since then, changes have been made, allowing the Zoo School to accept sophomores and now freshmen.

In 1999, Zoo School created its own Key Club, partnering with the Lincoln Kiwanis Club. Every week, students meet to work on fund-raising, community events, and volunteer work.

Zoo School's technology consists of a lab of iMacs, which arrived at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. There are 3 PowerMac G4s and 1 PowerMac G5, which enable students to create documentaries and video yearbooks using movie software, like Final Cut Express HD. Zoo School works with the Information Technology Program (also with Lincoln Public Schools) to gain access to state of the art equipment.

Zoo School has made some changes throughout the years, but their goal is maintained: to give students the best education possible, to instill an excitement and a craving for knowledge, to teach and learn together.