Boys' Village alternative classes get a little wild
When The Village Network principal Brad Warner thought about ways to involve the youth at his school in new curriculum, he wasn’t just thinking about conventional classes and that was a charge he made to his teachers.Thus far, he’s been rewarded. That was never more in evidence than recently when Massillon High School’s tiger cub was brought to the school through the efforts of teachers John Dean and Debbie Beechy.
The two teach a wildlife class, and nothing was wilder than having a 5-month-old Bengal tiger cub visit the school for an hour. The class was intended to be a wildlife study and focus on how the food chain worked, “but that was not what the boys had in mind when they showed up, so we scrambled to find a concept related to wildlife they found interesting,” laughed Debbie Beechy.
“We’ve tried to get different people to come in. One, Mark Headings of ATI, talked about insects, and we had the Akron Zoo come in and bring three different animals and their theme was survival and extinction. A bus driver, Vic Cole, is bringing in his Macaw, and Kelly Riley, from the Wayne County Soil and Water bureau, is also coming in.”
There is little doubt the Bengal tiger was an hour to remember. John Dean made the connection through his days when he taught at Massillon Washington High School. The Massillon Tigers have had a tiger cub as a mascot for more than 40 years, and Bob Hollander “has been its handler for 26 or 28 years,” said Dean.
“This is their 40th one and there have been a couple they have kept for more than one year,” said Dean. “They had a Siberian tiger they kept for three years and Bob said that when it sat down it could look him straight in the eye.”
Dean said seeing the cub was invaluable to the youth from a couple of points.
“They see tigers on TV and they don’t realize the size they can get to, and this is a small one,” he said. “These are an endangered species, so maybe this will help them (understand conservation).
“The boys are still talking about it. They got to pet the tiger and that is something you can’t put into words.”
The youth were also able to hear about how short a tiger’s lifespan is in the wild, as poaching creates constant pressure on the population and has put the animal on the endangered species list.
The Wednesday afternoon classes over the final two periods of the day are multifaceted. One class is a “Mr. Fix-It” class designed to give students a brief introduction to such lifelong skills as basic carpentry, electrical and plumbing. Another teaches the fundamentals of cooking, while another class has speakers come in to discuss different job paths.
The purpose, according to Warner, is to give students tools to be able to integrate into society and succeed.
“I think the value it gives the kids is an experience they don’t get in a classroom setting,” said Warner. “It’s going to benefit them in real life. For me, I believe Wednesday afternoons give our kids practical life skills.
“It gives them exposure to other adults and things, and they are involved with people other (than staff) giving them the same message.”
The afternoons have been valuable in other ways, as discipline issues have virtually vanished.
“The kids and staff enjoy it,” said Warner. “I see kids and staff engaging in a different way and in a positive manner. They’re excited. We used to dread Wednesday, the long day, but looking at the behavior rate, we haven’t had one incident. The kids are interested and it’s something they can apply to life. It adds a spring in my step.”
The events have been varied.
“We had a stained glass project with Penny Mendenhall-Stone and Denny Driscoll, Mrs. DeNelsky has brought in speakers ranging from a funeral director to (aide) Carol Foley’s husband, who is a truck driver, and the amount of math that goes into what he does; we had an electrician come out; we had a jujitsu master come out and talk about life and respect, and how to avoid fighting and work on conflict resolution; and then the cooking experience the boys will need in life.
“It’s been invaluable. I wasn’t sure at first how it was going to work, but it has been great.”