Posts Tagged ‘Brown Education Center’

Jun
03

Introducing… Martha Petre!!

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Education Office,Teacher Resources

Martha gets inspected by our big male giraffe, Kiva

One of our fearless bloggers, you can always learn more about Martha from her blog bio and frequent posts.  Now you have a chance to find out even more about her!

Name: Martha Petre

Department and Title: Education – Education Programs Specialist

Job Description: I write curriculum as well as teach all of our programs. My area of responsibility includes all things teachers-educator days, overnights, career days and professional development!

Hometown: Chautauqua, NY

Favorite animal and why? Sea turtles! I was lucky enough to study leatherback turtles in west Africa during an interim session of college and ever since then I’ve been hooked on all things sea turtles!

Favorite class to teach at HZI: I love our ZooMobile and Adventure Class programs. They are structured the same however our ZooMobile program goes off grounds while our Adventure Classes are held in our classrooms here.

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? I started here in September of 2009.

Describe your education and experience prior to working at the Houston Zoo: Before coming to the Houston Zoo I worked at a preschool in Austin, TX. I graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, PA with a major in International Affairs and a minor in Spanish. Although my formal education may not line up with the job I have now I volunteered and interned with wildlife organizations throughout college and always knew I had to work with animals in some capacity!

What do you enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Department? Everything! I am fortunate enough to have an ever-changing job where I’m never doing the same thing on a daily basis. I also have a fabulous group of people to work with-not only are they passionate about what they do, they are funny, easy to be around and dedicated workers!

What animals do you have at home? Unfortunately I am not allowed to have pets where I live, but if I move I’ve already picked out what type of dog I would like and what I’d name him!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I am the youngest of 4 and the only girl. Since I am much younger than my brothers (and not as strong), I had only one thing I felt I could hold above their heads-I am the only child in the family that could become president of the United States. This certainly is not a career goal of mine but my brothers were all born in Taiwan, making them ineligible.

Martha and DeAndra (another Education Specialist) with Tupelo-our baby Asian Elephant

We’re getting near the end!  Only 2 more Specialists to go before you’ve met our entire staff!

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May
20

Introducing… Amy Barnhill!

Posted by in Education Office,Zoomobile

Amy working with our North American porcupine, Ernie

Our next Education Specialist to meet is one of the more colorful characters in our department.  We’ve all enjoyed getting to know her, and I hope you do, too!

Name: Amy Barnhill

Department and Title: Education Department; Education Program Specialist

Job Description: I teach and write all the education programs that the Houston Zoo has to offer. I also take care of the invertebrates and sand boa here in the education department.

Hometown: Salina, KS

Favorite animal and why? My favorite animal is the octopus! I love all types of octopi but my favorites include the Giant Pacific, blue ringed, and dumbo octopus. I love these animals because they are unique in behavior and physical appearance. And there in nothing else like them in the world.

Favorite class to teach at HZI: I love to teach all of the classes, but my favorite would be the ZooMobiles. I love the chance to leave zoo grounds and bring the zoo to a group of children or people that may not otherwise be able to make it out to the zoo. We always take live animals with us and bio-facts and having those things in a child’s classroom gives the students a chance to feel that connection with the animals and the zoo without ever leaving there desk!

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? 2 years

Describe your education and experience prior to working at the Houston Zoo:   I attended Friends University for their Zoo Science Program. There I got a lot of keeper experience working as a student keeper in the program at Sedgwick County Zoo. I also did an internship at Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure in the education department where I helped teach and write their education programs. After my internship I started here at the Houston Zoo and have been here ever since. My years in an AZA accredited zoo total 5 years and I have been lucky enough to have worked with a varity of animals.

What do you enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Department?  The thing I enjoy most about working here is that everyday it is something new. I never have the same work day twice. I also enjoy the chance to meet hundreds of kids a year and help them discover their love for nature and the natural world.

What animals do you have at home? I have a terrier mix puppy that is almost 6 months old!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I was a baton twirler for 14 years and have even won a national title with the National Baton Twirling Association.

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May
06

Introducing… Viviana Valdez!

Posted by in Education Office,Fun on grounds

We got to meet Bennett a while back.  Now it’s time to meet Viviana, the other person on our two-person Interpretive team! 

Name: Viviana Valdez

Department and Title: Education Department; Interpretive Specialist

Job Description: My job includes, but it is not limited to, performing on gounds Educational programs, such as Story Safari, Zooper Challenge, and Zoo Adventures.

Hometown: Houston, TX

Favorite animal and why? Well I’m a big fan of all primates, but my favorite animal is definitely the mandrill. I love their beautiful colors.

Favorite class to teach at HZI: Story Safari.

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? 3 years

Describe your education and experience prior to working at the Houston Zoo:  I didn’t have much experience prior to the Houston Zoo. I was fresh out of high school when I joined the Zoo team, with only one year of clerical experience from working an intership at the U.S. Treasury Dept. The Admission’s department hired me as a part-time carousel operator, and I’ve been working my way up the ladder since.

What do you enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Department?  Well, I love my job and that makes working here enjoyable for me. If theres anything I enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Dept is the casual atmosphere within the team.

What animals do you have at home? I have a guinea pig named Mr. Man.  Although, I’m hoping to adopt a dog once I move out of my apartment complex.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I like to collect office supplies, especially post-its.

Now that we’ve gotten to the Specialists, be prepared for some more fun responses! The first of SIX Education Specialists is next week!

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Apr
22

Introducing… Megan Easely!

Posted by in Education Office

The newest additions to our EduTeer Team are the wonderful ladies who staff our Call Center.  They handle calls and program booking, and we’ll meet the first of them today!

Name: Megan Easely

Department and Title: Education Department; Group Reservationist

Job Description: I coordinate group field trips and Education programs.

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Favorite animal and why? Birds, because they are so interesting! Mice, because they are so cute!

Favorite class to teach at HZI: I am not able to teach classes in my position but I have an interest in Taxonomy and Adaptations.

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? 8 months

Describe your education and experience prior to working at the Houston Zoo: Bachelor of Arts. Experience in Non-profit work, Informal Education training, and studies in History and Anthropology.

What do you enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Department? Great Staff! Quality of Service!

What animals do you have at home? None at the moment :(

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I LOVE the outdoors! … but I have bad allergies.

Join us next week to meet our next EduTeer staff person!

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Apr
08

Introducing… Anita Frey!

Posted by in Education Office

From Volunteer Staff to Bennett, our profiles of the Education supervisors continue with Anita…

Anita, feeding the giraffes at the new feeding platform in African Forest!

Name:  Anita Barron Frey

Department and Title:  Education; Academic Programs Supervisor

Job Description:  I do A LOT! From managing 6 amazing Education Specialists to promoting our programs, I dabble in lots of places here in the Education Department.

Hometown:  Dallas, Texas

Favorite animal and why?  Habor Seal, Phoca vitulina, one in particular, Porter, who was the coolest, smartest, best seal ever! Here at the Houston Zoo,the giraffe. This graceful animal always seems so peaceful. And I think it has awesome adaptations!

Favorite class to teach at HZI:  So far I really enjoy doing Story Safari on-grounds. It is so silly and fun. I love getting kids involved in the stories, which in turn will hopefully encourage an appreciation for animals.

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? 8 months… whew! 

In one of her previous positions, Anita got the chance to paint with a Rockhopper Penguin!

Describe your education and experience prior to working at the Houston Zoo:  Wow… where to start? I began volunteering at the Dallas Zoo when I was 11 and continued there through high school. I later interned at Disney’s Animal Kingdom then graduated from Texas A&M University (WHOOP!) with a B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science specializing in Conservation and Biodiversity. I quickly got a job working with/ training seals, sea lions and penguins. After 4 years working with animals, I traded my whistle in for a dry erase marker. I taught high school Biology for two years. Now I am very lucky to have an awesome job where I get to work in the eductaion department at the Houston Zoo. The perfect mesh of all my experiences!

What do you enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Department?  I love the variety of programs and people. It’s definitely a new Zoo everyday!

What animals do you have at home?  Husband, toddler, a lovable pit-mix- Zoe and a loud beagle- Scout.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I played women’s rugby in college and received the most improved player of the year award freshman year thereby earning me the nickname, “The Wall”.

Check back next week for another profile from one of our amazing staff!

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Mar
31

A Zimbabwean Visitor Turned Friend

Posted by in Classes/Programs,Education Office,Public Programs,Safari School,Zoomobile

Dought and the Education Department in our usual form

The Education Department was fortunate enough to have Dought Nkomo from the Painted Dog Conservation Project in Zimbabwe visit with us for a week. When we knew he would be spending time with us after working with the Facilities Department it was time to pack his schedule FULL of fun, educational Houston Zoo experiences.

Dought came over to our department from March 18th-March 24th. Over the course of the week he experienced many of our programs. The first day we took him around the Zoo to show him how some of our on-grounds tour programs work (Wild Wheels, Senior Safari, etc.) he even got to go on one of our Wild Wheels programs!

Dought and Elizabeth holding Makobe-a leopard tortoise after Wild Wheels

That same day he received a one-on-one training in Interpretation Skills from our Senior Education Specialist. As we do with anything we celebrate, we decided to have a potluck lunch to welcome Dought on his first day. Unfortunately he was feeling a little under the weather from all of the travel and new food so we kept it simple-corn casserole, mac and cheese, rice-the basics.

Dought then got to visit with our Wild Winks specialists and learn what we do during our overnight programs. Learning about this program was of increased significance since the kids sleep over at the Bush Camp in Zimbabwe for 4 nights.

Our ZooMobile program is one of our most well-known educational programs, and we thought it would be fun for Dought to tag along on one. He went with an Education Specialist to Lonestar College to teach college freshman about adaptations. He also spent some time with Bennett-our Interpretive Programs Supervisor to learn about theatrical programs on Zoo grounds (Story Safari, Zooper Challenge, Zoo Adventures).

Dought and DeAndra on a ZooMobile with a volunteer docent-Bonnie

Finally, we wrapped up his visit with a trip to the Texas City Prairie Preserve, a free field trip that we conduct on land owned by The Nature Conservancy. This program is very similar to the Bush Camp program in that kids study a local ecosystem from the bugs to the water and develop an appreciation for declining flora and fauna in the area. Dought had the chance to sweep for Texas insects, go seining in Moses Lake, learn the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken mating dance and test the quality of water in the brackish habitat. He said he really enjoyed seining and that he usually doesn’t like water because he can’t swim (Zimbabwe is a land-locked country) but he walked along the bank and used a net to catch some fish!

Dought and Bennett conducting a Zooper Challenge in the Children's Zoo

At the end of his stay Dought took home certificates to certify that he completed training in Community Outreach, Interpretation and Curriculum Design and Instruction. PHEW…not bad for a week! We hope Dought enjoyed his visit as much as we enjoyed having him here. It’s not every day you get to learn from such a well-spoken, friendly and knowledgeable conservation hero. It seems as though he learned quite a bit from his visit to Houston, but he may never know how much we learned from him.

To learn more about Painted Dog Conservation visit our conservation website: http://www.houstonzoo.org/painted-dog-conservation/ or visit the PDC website: http://www.painteddog.org/.

If you’ve enjoyed reading about Dought and Xmas you can read more about them on our main Zoo Blog and Conservation Blog: http://www.houstonzooblogs.org/zoo/ or http://houstonzooblogs.org/wildconservation/.

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Mar
25

Introducing… Erin Quassa!

Posted by in Education Office,Volunteer Programs

Erin loves all of the carnivores here at the Zoo, including our Anatolian shepherd Taji

This week we get to meet the third member of our Volunteer team.  Missed the previous parts of our series?  Check them out here!  

Name: Erin S. Quassa 

Department and Title: Volunteers; Volunteer Program Coordinator 

Job Description: I work with interns, keeper aides, and outside corporate/community groups. My main duties include coordination of projects and communication between candidates and the Zoo community. 

Hometown: Juneau, Alaska 

 Favorite animal and why? Lions.  They are my sorority mascot, I think that they have the most unique social structure among the big cats, and they are majestic, powerful animals! 

 Favorite class (or program) at HZI: I enoy doing informal information sessions such as career fairs. I also enjoy TCPP, I think that when we are out in the field children can really make strong, lasting connections to what they are learning about. 

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? 1 year and 2 months. 

Describe your education and experience prior to working at the Houston Zoo: I went to Sam Houston State University (Go Bearkats!). I got my Bachelors’ Degree in Mass Communications and Advertising with a minor in English. Before coming to the Zoo I work at the Houston SPCA, where after fostering 8 different dogs and keeping two of them I decided it was time to find a job where I couldn’t take the animals home with me. 

 What do you enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Department? The people, I truly think we have the best team at the zoo. We have strong positive leadership which guides us to our goals. Everyone gets along; we are all close enough that if we did have an issue we needed to work out it would be done in a respectful one-on-one conversation. We have fun together, we laugh a lot!  But we are also very hard working, ready and willing to help out and get things done even if it’s not our “assigned” job.  I am very lucky to be on the Eduteer team! 

Erin and Kiva, our male giraffe.

    What animals do you have at home? I have two Bassett Hound named Charles Buford Bernard Samuel Jackson Bartholomew Agatha Kristi Quassa the 18th and Magdalene Moo Moo Quassa 1st. They go by Maggie and Charlie most days or any number of other nicknames which include but are not limited to the following: Matugala, Mags, Tinkerton, Stinker-tinker-ton, Maggie girl sugars, Maggie fat girl, little butt, Mr. Man, Trawles, Chuck, and Little gentleman. 

 Tell us a fun fact about yourself:  I will try anything once, I think people waste time being afraid to try new things or step out of their comfort zones. We only live once so might as well make it as interesting as possible. One of my quotes to live by is “Most people treat their bodies like a temple, I treat mine like an amusement park. It’s going to be a wild ride” 

 Come back next week, when we’ll be moving back to the Education side of things!

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Mar
11

Introducing… Kelly McCreery!

Posted by in Education Office

"Miss Kelly" surrounded by her campers last summer!

It’s time to meet another person on our team!  Miss the first installments?  Read them here! 

Name: Kelly McCreery

 Department and Title: Education; Contact Center Supervisor 

 Job Description: I supervise the day to day activity of the Call Center and keep our Education Calendar up to date. I also take on any additional administrative work that needs to be done through out the week. 

 Hometown: Houston, Texas 

 Favorite animal and why? It changes all the time- I don’t know if I can pick a favorite. I really love the Meerkats. They are right next to our building so I get to see them every day. You can see me on a daily basis stopping to talk to them as I make my way around the zoo. 

 Favorite class to teach at HZI? Camp Zoofari!! I love summer camp and getting to spend time teaching a different group of kids every week. It’s always fun and the kids keep me on my toes- but always with a smile on my face. 

 How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? A little over 5 months 

Kelly on our staff field trip to Texas City Prairie Preserve. She's very excited about seining!

 Describe your education and experience prior to working at the Zoo: I actually started volunteering with the Houston Zoo in 2003 through the Zoo Crew program. I did that for 3 summers and then went to college. I attended Texas A&M University where I got my degree in Middle Grades Education. In 2009 I came back to the zoo as a Summer Camp teacher. I taught 8th grade English from 2009- 2010, and returned to the zoo this past summer as a camp teacher. I realized I needed to be here full time, and was hired right after the summer came to an end! I always knew I would end up here full time and am so happy to be a part of the Education Department! 

What do you enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Department? I love the people I work with! We have a wonderful group of people in our department. Everyone here is passionate about seeing our programs grow and succeed, and it is wonderful to come to work at a place where everyone loves what they do. 

What animals do you have at home? I have a dog and a parakeet. My dog is a 16 year old West Highland Terrier named Riley. I got him for a Christmas present when I was 8 years old. :) I found my bird outside of my apartment in September of 2009 and his name is Jerry. 

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: I love to dance! (Even though I am not very good…) If there is a dance party, I am there! 

Keep checking back for more info on the staff here in the EduTeer Department!

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Feb
25

Introducing… Paul Bishop

Posted by in Education Office,Volunteer Programs

To continue our series introducing the EduTeer Staff, we’ll head over to the Volunteer section…

Name: Paul Bishop

Title: Volunteer Programs Supervisor

Paul getting a smooch from one of our sea lions, Cali.

Job Description: I provide supervision to all of our volunteer programs and the coordinators that run them. I directly supervise the docent program.

Hometown: Marshall, TX

Favorite animal and why?  My overall favorite animal is the gorilla, but my favorite here at the Houston Zoo is the white rhino. I just find them extremely interesting and their plight in the wild is an issue that needs more attention.

Favorite class to teach at HZI: I enjoy coordinating our docent training sessions. I probably learn as much as they do.

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? About 8 months.

Describe your education and experience prior to working at the Houston Zoo: I have over 11 years of coaching experience on both the collegiate and high school level. I also have over 6 years of experience in personnel training.

What do you enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Department? Everyone here comes to work with a great attitude and is genuinely happy to be here. I also like that you can learn something new here everyday.

What animals do you have at home? My wife and I have a cat named Bam. (But I wish we had a dog!)

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: While coaching the cheerleaders at the University of Oklahoma, I also coached Carl Albert High School to 4 straight State Championships and one Grand National Championship.

Keep checking back to find out more about the unique staff here in the EduTeer family!

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Feb
18

Introducing…Chance Sanford!

Posted by in Education Office,Volunteer Programs

As Leigh mentioned previously, we will be doing a blog series about the staff that makes up the Education and Volunteer departments-aka the EduTeer Staff. We decided to make it easy on everyone and start from the top and work our way down the EduTeer family tree. Today’s blog features our head honcho…read on to find out more!

Name: Chance Sanford

Title: Director of Education

Job Description: I feel my role in the department is to place individuals in positions and give them responsibilities in which they will be successful, as well as provide them the resources, training, and knowledge for them to be successful in those roles. Beyond that I oversee the operations of volunteer programs, education programs, and the contact center.

Hometown: Pasadena, TX

Chance enjoying some time with our meerkat mob

Favorite animal and why? Rockhopper Penguin. I have had the fortune of working around a variety of penguin species in my career, and some of the most inquisitive and playful chicks are rockhoppers. It’s tough not to like an animal that you can have hang out in your lap.

Favorite class to teach at HZI: I haven’t had the opportunity to teach many classes, but I really enjoy Camp Zoofari.

How long have you worked at the Houston Zoo? 9 months

Describe your education and experience prior to working at the Houston Zoo: B.S. in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University at Galveston; M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction from Concordia University. Prior to the Zoo I worked as an animal care specialist for a year at Rainforest Cafe, and worked 7 years in the Education Department at SeaWorld San Antonio over the camp programs (1 year as an Education Supervisor, 6 years as an Education Manager).

What do you enjoy most about working in the EduTeer Department? I enjoy working with such passionate people. Everyone in the department is passionate about something, be it education, interpretation, conservation or something else. I love coming to work everyday knowing that whatever it is that we want to accomplish, we can do it together, and our passion for it will drive our enthusiasm toward the goal.

What animals do you have at home? Dixie – Redbone Coonhound & Daisie – Black Lab mix

Tell us a fun fact about yourself: When I was in college I rowed a marathon.

Keep checking back to find out more about the unique staff here in the EduTeer family.

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