Wildlife Sanctuary
The Sondra Fox Nature Sanctuary at WUES is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year!
The WUES Nature Sanctuary is a natural learning area where native plants support local wildlife with food and shelter. On any given day you may happen upon a frog, a caterpillar on its way to becoming a butterfly, or even a wise old owl! Ten years ago, former science teacher Sondra Fox spearheaded the creation of the Nature Sanctuary with the following goals in mind:
- Help the students experience a little taste of nature, see and understand the interconnectedness of the environment, and appreciate how strong, and yet how delicate, it is.
- Show by example the beauty and importance of providing protected sanctuaries for wildlife in the city.
- Inspire children to care about and care for wildlife (both animals and plants).
- Provide a place for living, real, hands-on fun science activities.
The Nature Sanctuary is well-maintained by parent volunteers and open to classes through teacher or parent-led lessons. This outdoor classroom is a wonderful learning resource and environment for our students, whether for science lessons or cross-disciplinary activities such as writing projects or math measurements. Last year a project garden was added, allowing students to see how different plants grow (or don't grow).
A visit to the Nature Sanctuary is always an exciting adventure for our students! Experience it yourself... bring your children along on scheduled Saturday work days or volunteer to take your child's class on visits to the Nature Sanctuary.