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Teacher Bridget Tenney outlines ‘BU Zoo’ expansion and a lowered-cost Yellowstone trip as travel costs rise
Summary
Bridget Tenney, who runs the BU Zoo program at Buckhead and Industrial High School, told the board the program doubled enrollment and described plans for a more affordable Yellowstone trip after international and long domestic trips became cost-prohibitive for families.
Bridget Tenney, a program leader at Buckhead and Industrial High School, described the BU Zoo classroom program and recent expansion in a delegation to the Upshur County Board of Education.
"So my name is Bridget Tenney," she said, and outlined how the BU Zoo gives students hands-on science experience through 13 species maintained in the classroom and through school and community outreach. Tenney said participation in the program grew from about 32 students last year to about 60 this year, and that students have serviced as many as 1,200 children at a single outreach event.
Tenney reviewed prior field trips — Tampa, the Florida Keys, Alaska, Hawaii and Costa Rica — and said rising prices have made some options unaffordable for families. She gave the Alaska example, saying an earlier trip had cost about $3,400 for six or seven days and that current pricing had risen to about $5,700; she said a Yellowstone trip in the $3,500 range would be a more accessible alternative for many families. Tenney said the trip dates will be chosen in the third or fourth week in June to match the best opportunities for student experiences at partner sites such as the Wolf and Grizzly Research Center and other behind-the-scenes activities.
Board members thanked Tenney for providing students with experiential learning opportunities and asked to be kept informed of trip planning details, numbers of participating students and insurance and background-check arrangements. Superintendent Miller confirmed that field-trip forms and necessary state approvals were in order for the trips discussed.
Tenney said she will continue work to connect program activities to college and career pathways and to expand the second-year "zoo 2" curriculum that adds management and paperwork skills for students who run program logistics. The board expressed support and asked Tenney to keep the administration informed about final dates, participant counts and any additional funding or transportation needs.
