Nancy Lamphere’s second grade class at Mayfield Elementary School presented $175 to
Ruth Ann Prey, a retired school teacher, Monday morning (March 14). The money, raised entirely by the students, will be sent to an animal sanctuary in Africa that helps rescue endangered black rhinoceroses.
Prey gave a guest lecture to the second grade class in late February about the black rhinoceros, whose population has decreased dramatically in the past few decades. While tens of thousands of black rhinos thrived as recently as 1970, recent research suggests that as few as approximately 4,000 lack rhinos are alive today. The rapid decline in population is mostly due to poachers who hunt the rhinos for their horns, which are then sold as trophies or ground into a powder used in pseudo-medical practices as a cure-all. Black rhinos are currently classified as “critically endangered” by the IUCN.
After the presentation, the second grade students decided they wanted to do something to help. In particular, second grader Ella Coulter took the cause to heart. Her parents said she spent an entire snow day making posters, writing a letter to other students and their parents and making a collection jar for spare change. “She did it all herself,” said her parents.
Thanks to Ella and the rest of the students at Mayfield Elementary, a total of $175 was raised. Prey returned to the school Monday to accept the money and thank the students for their efforts. “I think it’s really important.... I love animals,” said Ella. Photos by JACOB HUNSANGER
Photo captions:
Above, Ruth Ann Prey, a retired Lapeer teacher, talks to the second grade class at Mayfield Elementary School and applauds them for their hard work raising money. To the left, student Ella Coulter shows off the collection jar she made. The students used the jar to collect spare change from parents and students in other classrooms. On the right is the letter Ella wrote to help with the fundraising efforts.
