PETERBOROUGH — Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders and Principal Stephanie Syre-Hager are pleased to share that Antrim Elementary School recently hosted the first annual Animal Symposium Night, where parents, their families, and staff learned more about outdoor animals.
About 175 people from across the ConVal School District attended the event, during which they read stories, played games, and learned more about owls through taxidermy models. Representatives of the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock offered a fun-filled presentation to students in Grades preK-4. Antrim third- and fourth-graders also showed off their bird and animal projects to appreciative audiences.
“The project was good. We started in January learning about an animal. We made trifold presentations, a diorama or model, and a field guide,” Grade 3 student Collins Harris said. “It took time and patience. We learned a lot about birds, and we drew range maps. It felt good to share our work and get appreciation for all the work we did.”
Grade 4 student Marie Moenter said, “I really liked doing the project and learning about the river otter which is the animal I chose. I liked reading about them and watching videos of them. I was a little nervous about presenting my animal, but I answered everyone’s questions.”
Thanks to Title 1 funding, each student in Grade 3 and 4 received a bird field guide, and a special publication that included all of their animal projects. Every student in the school was able to take home a Stokes field guide to share with their families.
“Symposium Night was a terrific success,” Principal Syre-Hager said. “It was exciting to see so many people attend, and to watch our students share what they had learned while creating their projects.”
Superintendent Rizzo Saunders and Principal Syre-Hager wish to thank the Antrim Elementary School PTO for generously donating popcorn and water for the event.
Karen Rent, Assistant School Program Manager & Teacher-Naturalist at the Harris Center for Conservation Education, offers a presentation about owls during Antrim Elementary School’s Symposium Night. (Photo Courtesy ConVal School District) 
Maddie Walsh, Grade 4, explains her project during Antrim Elementary School’s Symposium Night. (Photo Courtesy ConVal School District) 
Carol Lunan, Family Support Program Director at the Grapevine Family and Community Resource Center, reads a book about owls during Antrim Elementary School’s Symposium Night. (Photo Courtesy ConVal School District) Blake Trow, Grade 3, proudly displays his project. (Photo Courtesy ConVal School District) 
Parent Ashley Naglie, left, and music/arts teacher Carole Storro serve popcorn provided by the Antrim Elementary School PTO. (Photo Courtesy ConVal School District)
