Independent School to open ‘zoo school’ for sixth-graders this fall

Starting this fall, some Wichita sixth-graders will read, write and study among bears, elephants, gorillas and penguins in a classroom that gives new meaning to the term “middle school zoo.”

The Independent School, a private school in east Wichita, plans to open a classroom campus at the Sedgwick County Zoo, school officials announced Thursday.

It will be the only school of its kind in Kansas and one of only a handful of zoo-based schools nationwide.

The first year of the Independent School at the Sedgwick County Zoo will be open to incoming sixth-graders. Students will attend class at the zoo in the mornings and at the Independent School campus, 8317 E. Douglas, in the afternoons.

The new campus, which will enroll up to 18 sixth-graders, is designed to focus on environmental awareness, creative thinking, leadership and life-long learning, officials said.

It was inspired by Independent’s zoo science class, a partnership between the school and the zoo that has been offered as a course option for middle- and high-schoolers since 2013.

“When we can use the zoo as our classroom, it really resonates with some kids, and they’re able to find their passion,” said Beth Sturm, director of admissions for The Independent School.

“It can be very powerful when you can provide the right opportunity for a child, and a whole new world opens up for them.”

Schanee Anderson, the zoo’s curator of education, said the school is modeled loosely on zoo-based schools elsewhere, including one in Lincoln, Neb. But Wichita’s will be “a whole new concept,” she said.

Students will study core subjects – math, English, social studies and science – at the zoo as part of a thematic, nature-based curriculum, Anderson said.

Classrooms in the Cargill Learning Center will serve as the students’ home base, she said. But the zoo’s 247 acres will be their daily laboratory.

“The zoo’s mission is to inspire discovery, appreciation and respect for animals and nature,” she said. “So what better way to do that than to start to have young people that are here for an extended period?”

As part of a lesson about the prairie ecosystem, for example, students might core into the trunk of a cottonwood tree to determine the tree’s age and then talk about history, Anderson said: “What was happening here in Wichita during the time that tree first developed?”

Students could learn math concepts by determining how to re-seed and restore an acre of prairie, she said, calculating how many seeds they’d need per square foot and how much it would cost. They could practice writing by crafting a hypothetical grant application to secure the seed purchase.

“They’ll see, just looking at something like that one cottonwood tree in the prairie, how all those particular pieces fit together,” Anderson said.

“As they’re going through those lessons, everything will really be blended together, which is how the world evolves. That’s everyday life.”

The school will begin accepting applications Friday. Students will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, officials said. An open house for prospective students will be held at the zoo on April 28 from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

Families wanting more information about the school – or those who plan to attend the open house – are encouraged to contact the school admissions office at 316-686-0152, or e-mail zoo@theindependentschool.com.

This story was originally published April 14, 2016 at 10:30 AM with the headline "Independent School to open ‘zoo school’ for sixth-graders this fall."