Head O’ Meadow Students Create An Adopt-An-Animal Stand

By Eliza Hallabeck

During a playdate between four Head O’ Meadow students — Brian Lageman, Kristin Lageman, Dante Verna, and Caroline Moran — in October the students raised money to adopt an animal through the World Wildlife Fund.

On Monday, December 5, the students gathered together at their school to reflect on their accomplishment.

The idea for the at-home project came from a school lesson last school year in Dante and Brian’s class. The lesson, learned in Karen Dreger’s classroom, stuck with the now-third grade students. This year, both said, they wanted to help endangered animals again.

Brian’s sister Kristin and Caroline, both in first grade, joined the boys at the end of the Lagemans’ driveway the Sunday following Winter Storm Alfred.

The students set up two buckets on a table in the driveway. They then asked passersby to donate $2 toward supporting an endangered animal through the World Wildlife Fund. Passersby could also vote for the animal they wanted the money to go toward adopting; a lion or a cheetah.

In the end the cheetah earned more votes.

“We looked on the website,” said Brian, “and there were 100 [animals], and I picked the cheetah or the lion.”

The students raised $26 through their efforts that day, and their parents matched the money raised to help give money to funding a cheetah through the program.

“They worked very had that day,” said Randi Lageman, Kristin and Brian’s mother.

According to World Wildlife Fund’s website, www.worldwildlife.org, donations to the website add to efforts to protect animals and their habitats around the world.

On Monday, Brian also held an official stuffed animal cheetah from the World Wildlife Fund, earned through the group’s efforts. Donations over $50 include a stuffed animal, an adoption certificate, a species information card, a photo, and a gift bag, according to the website.

Head O’ Meadow Principal Barbara Gasparine explained that last year, Brian and Dante’s class adopted a manatee through the World Wildlife Fund after studying endangered species.

“I’m proud of them,” said Ms Gasparine about the group of students.