On April 16, the Howling Woods Farm had to reschedule their presentation at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School after some scheduling errors occurred with the original date. The Howling Woods Farm presentation, which was originally planned for during unit lunch on Plains-Fanwood High School during unit lunch was rescheduled to May 3 from April 16
The Howling Woods Farm is “an educational center, rescue and sanctuary focused on teaching the truth about wolves & wolf-dogs,”according to an email sent out by SPFHS Activities.
The visit was going to include a presentation from a worker at the farm—located in Jackson Township, New Jersey— as well as the opportunity for students to interact with a wolf dog from the farm.
“I think it’s a really cool opportunity to learn more about not just wolves, but wolf dogs in general, which is something I don’t think most people have heard of,” SPFHS Environmental Science teacher and Environmental Club advisor Zachary Rittner said. “When you are wanting to be a pet owner, and you want to think about an exotic pet— whether it’s a wolf or a lost dog or a tiger—it comes with certain responsibilities. When people don’t live up to those responsibilities, it is the animal that pays the price.”
Throughout the school year, the Environmental Club, who is sponsoring this visit, have hosted various other guest speakers who have spoken to SPFHS students about their involvement in different environmental programs or studies.
“I was upset [to hear about the cancellation] because I was excited to see the wolf dogs, but I was glad to hear that it was [just] postponed,” junior AP Environmental Science student Amanda Smith said.
Smith believes that the visit is beneficial to students both studying and not studying science. It allows those studying science to observe and learn in a more hands-on way about the animals and topics they have been learning about in class, and it allows other students to learn more about wolves and watch them and their habits.
“I think it’s a really cool educational experience and it’s also an opportunity to see a real live animal in school,” Rittner said. “It’s a pretty cool opportunity [to have].”
