Shelli Speakman and Katie Ensell will help shape the Columbus Zoo’s educational opportunities for students.
Two Westerville City Schools educators have been selected to serve on the Columbus Zoo Conservation Education Advisory Council. Katie Ensell, a 3rd grade teacher at Hawthorne Elementary, and Shelli Speakman, a MD teacher at Wilder, are part of a small panel chosen from educators all over Franklin and surrounding counties. Speakman will represent children with severe disabilities and Ensell will represent students in grades 3 - 5.
Over the next year, the panel will meet every other month to look at the education programs offered by the Columbus Zoo, and will provide feedback about the current programs and ways to expand into the future. The zoo is hoping to improve their online resources for teachers planning field trips, programs for students while at the zoo, and learning opportunities for educators.
Speakman hopes to see more hands-on activities, as well as age-appropriate programs designed for youngsters in higher grades with lower cognitive and academic skills. Ensell would like to see more hands-on activities available throughout the zoo that correlate with multiple areas of Ohio’s state standards. The duo hope to help shape the zoo’s education programs to meet the needs of Ohio’s diverse student population.