Elementary Students in Northeast Philadelphia Get Hands-On Lessons in Livestock Farming
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The main lobby at Fox Chase Elementary School smelled like a farm today. And for good reason.
It's not every day that kids get a chance to hold newborn chicks, a month-old lamb, or rabbits in the lobby of their own school.
"I didn't know that there was going to be a cow in here," said wide-eyed fifth-grader Michael Gallagher, who was surprised to see the three-day-old calf in his school. "I usually pet a cat or a dog. Not these animals!"
Fox Chase Elementary principal Rob Caroselli was glad to help arrange the event.
"This is something that kids might never experience ever again in their lives," he noted. "And this is something that we couldn't pass up."
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The animals are courtesy of Fox Chase Farm, a campus of Swenson High School. Agriculture teacher Mandy Fellouzis (at right in photo above) said the students are getting hands-on learning, and a whole lot more.
"They're not just experiencing the petting farm today -- they're also experiencing in-class lessons," she said. "They're learning about careers in agriculture, like veterinary medicine."