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Tarea and Florence think it’s more fun to milk goat together than al
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Fanning Staff
HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.)
It’s difficult to say who derives
more from a relationship between
kids and animals, but it’s evident
that in most cases both child and
animal thrive from the
companionship.
Chocolate magnate Milton S.
Hershey knew this when he pro
vided cost-free education and
home to underprivileged children
in 1909. He planned for children to
grow up on a farm and help with
the chores.
At one time students at the
school were all involved in animal
care. When the dairy barns were
dispersed, animal care seemed to
become a distant memory. Now
the school is going back to animal
chore plans with a slightly diffe
rently twist
Animal chores are not mandat
ory for all students. They are man
datory only for students who sign
up to become part of the 4-H and
FFA animal clubs. Depending on
individual schedules, students are
assigned monthly, weekly, or daily
chores.
Today, Hershey’s $6O million
personal fortune is one of the
largest educational endowments
Students learn to herd sheep, which naturally seem to want to go the opposite
direction of where they should be headed.
Team Efforts Raise Status,
Spirits Of Hershey
that now provides home and
schooling for 1,100 students from
kindergarten through 12th grade.
Although only one of the homes
the children live in is located on a
working dairy farm, the school is
working toward students becom
ing more involved with animals
and animal-related chores. Care
for goats, service dogs, sheep,
steers, horses, rabbits, and guinea
pigs are considered a vital part of
the program.
Fbur months ago, Todd Biddle,
a Penn State graduate of ag educa
tion. came to the school with the
goal to increase student enrollment
in 4-H and FFA animal projects.
Biddle, who is die instructional
adviser of the animal center and
responsible for classroom teaching
and curriculum for all grades, is
enthusiastic about the benefits of
student participation in animal
projects.
“When students have an interest
in a project, they tend to be more
successful,” Biddle said. “A live
animal piques student interest.
Students learn most through
hands-on experience ”
Clubs include multigrade levels.
Older and younger students are
generally paired together.
lone.
Goats
The most popular club seems to
be the Goat Club. No doubt it’s the
resultof Todd Biddle’s own enthu
siasm for goats. He grew up caring
and showing goats, and served as a
former ambassador for the
industry.
“Goats are such accepting and
loving animals,” Biddle said of his
reasons for believing that goat pro
jects are one of the better ones for
students.
'Their size and personalities
make it possible for students to
have good success with sheep and
goats. Although Biddle sees simi
lar traits among goats and sheep,
he said there is one major
difference.
“Walk up to a goat and it runs
toward you. Walk up to a sheep
and it runs away.”
Biddle brought some of his
Saanen show goats to the school.
Other breeds at the school include
Alpine, Toggcnburg, and Nubian.
Students milk eight of the goats
daily. It takes 5-10 minutes to milk
goats. Some students team
together and each milk one teat at a
time.
The milk is pasteurized by the
students before feeding the milk to
the baby goats and pigs.
Students
Greg Laughlin stands In front of a chart that students fill
out to record their feelings whenever they spend time at the
animal center.
Miller’s wife bottle-feeds die
goats at night when the students
are in bed.
“Each little thing a student
accomplishes is a success," Biddle
said.
Success in die show ting isn’t
dependent upon ribbons and tro
phies, but upon a student following
through with the techniques
they’ve been taught
Prosocial self esteem is the
result of tremendous teamwork.
Kids who share the same interests
work with each other and monitor
progress.
The goats ate housed in the bam
at the group home where Dan Mill
er is a houseparent Miller teaches
sanitation rules while Biddle con
centrates on teaching breeding and
showing aspects.
Not all die students involved in
die goat club live where die goats
Ten-year-old Stephen was terrified of dogs when his
group home first became a foster family for raising a service
dog, which are trained to assist parents with disabilities.
arc housed. Some students are
involved in sports and other prog
raming. This means some students
care for the animals more than
others.
Students usually consider it a
benefit to live on grounds with the
animals and are pleased to spend
more times doing chores.
Biddle is a certified judge who
judges 10-20 shows annually. He
also judges draft horses, dairy
cows, and sheep.
Animal Center
Psychologists assign some stu
dents animal care to instill love and
bonding, responsibility and care.
They learn that animals, like
humans, will suffer if not treated
properly.
Greg Laughlin, assistant
(Turn to Pago B 4)