Lakeland teachers Dave Niedosik and Lorraine Nangle leading their students in dissecting the bear at the high school in Wanaque.
Posted on 01/07/2007 2:16:26 PM PST by Coleus
Lakeland teachers Dave Niedosik and Lorraine Nangle leading their students in dissecting the bear at the high school in Wanaque. |
The bear's paws were easy enough to slice off. Then, trouble: None of the teachers or students had anticipated that you can't dissect the rest of a frozen black bear carcass until you thaw it out. Forget the scalpels. Bring out the hot water, and the big buck knives. All in all, as biology lessons go, the one taught under the open sky at Lakeland Regional High School in Wanaque on Thursday was definitely not for the squeamish. Students and teachers in the Advanced Placement Biology class spent the day in the schoolyard dissecting a 150-pound black bear -- nicknamed "Fuzzy Wuzzy" by students -- that had spent two weeks in the school freezer after being killed by a car.
The slow and grisly process of removing first the fur and then flesh and organs was made even more difficult because the bear arrived on the cutting table still frozen. The students used hot water to hasten the thaw. The class had required special permission from the state to use a protected species, and the exercise generated a schoolwide buzz: Throughout the day, students from other classes gathered on bleachers to watch the bear's slow, gradual dissection. Some had no problem dealing with the slicing and the dicing. But while nobody threw up, there were a few scrunched faces at the day's sights and smells. "It doesn't bother me at all," said Ana Garcia, 17, a senior who had just finished gliding her blade through the carcass. "I'd like to major in pre-med when I got to college, so I was looking for some hands-on experience. I like to see how the muscles interact with the bone."
Back on the bleachers, Adam Stanton had come prepared with a respirator borrowed from his father, a handyman. "It's to keep the smell out," he said with a grimace. Ringwood police found the dead bear on Oct. 13 lying along Skylands Road, where it had been struck by a car. Thinking it might make a more interesting specimen for dissection than the standard frog, police contacted the Science Department officials at Lakeland and suggested that they take it. But cutting through the government red tape required as much patience as slicing through bear fat. Because bears are a protected species in New Jersey, Lakeland Regional had to get permission from the state Department of Environmental Protection before it could do anything with the carcass. While awaiting the DEP's blessing, the bear was put in a janitorial freezer in the yard behind the school.
Meanwhile, it didn't take long for the word to get around the school hallways, and intrigued students quickly dubbed the bear "Fuzzy Wuzzy." At first this was only a rumor," said Jon Castelin, 17, a senior who was busy snapping pictures of the bear for the school yearbook. Fuzzy Wuzzy was stiff as a board when she was hoisted atop a concrete slab behind the school shortly after 8 a.m. But before the cutting started, business teacher Mary Kohmunch gave the bear a spiritual send-off. Kohmunch lit a bunch of sage and waved her hand, the smoke drifting over the bear's body. She then offered a Native American prayer, and addressing the bear, thanked her for "giving in life and giving in death. Thank you for helping to educate our children." Then she turned to the children. "Guys, learn a lot," she commanded. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime."
Tubs of hot water were poured over the carcass to soften it. About a dozen students in the AP Biology class crowded round the table to have a better look. Out came the buck knives and other sharp instruments provided by the school. Helping dissect the bear was forensic science teacher Lorraine Nangle, who this year introduced a Forensic Science class at the school. The class has been a hit with the kids, just like the show "CSI," a blood-and-guts crime drama about police forensics. Many of Nangle's students dropped by throughout the day to have a look at the dissection in progress. "This will give the kids a pretty good idea of what an autopsy is like," Nangle said. Among the students enjoying the project was Ben Baker, 17, who was clicking photos to be used in forensics class. Baker said he's used to gore; he sees it on television and in movies all the time. "I like to deconstruct things," Baker said. "Like a detective, you become hardened by what you see. Plus, I guess growing up watching all those movies helped, too. "
I thought teachers weren't allowed to pray in public schools?
I had biology the first thing in the morning, and I wasn't a morning person. There's nothing like a good whiff of formaldehyde to start the day.
Up here in Alaska, the science teacher - who also has a trapline - regularly brings in dead animals for dissection. There's a nice photo of him in the yearbook with a dead beaver spread out on the table and the class attentive around the animal. Afterwards, the meat is given to the elders in the community.
That only applies to Christians and Jews. Wiccans, pagans, satanists, and Muzzies are apparently exempt from such silly notions as non-establishment.
When I was returning to school, I was considering a career related to the health field and took a biology class to fulfill some requirements. In a smaller room from our lab was a woman's body zipped up in a bag - it had been donated some years ago to the school for educational purposes. When the instructor told the nursing students she was in there, they all excitedly headed in the room to take a look. It creep me right out.
I recently graduated for accounting.
I'd rather drive a fork lift...
My zoology class was right before lunch. I was on a formaldehyde induced diet through those credits :P
Wow, I think I would have freaked out if I had this is college A&P. We did all sorts of animals, but when we got to the cat, I opted out, like a few other students that day and took a B for the class. being a cat owner at the time, that was a bit too close to hme.
LOL! RN here and actually, for some reason I can't recall, we never got to see the cadaver that day.
May I remind you this was in Northern NJ. I can drive into the lincoln tunnel or George W. Bridge (NYC) in under 40 minutes if there is no traffic from Wanaque. I have found out about this bear when it happen (a couple of months ago) and made me think, I think it was a very good use of a dead bear, wish things like this would happen more, just the piss-off the nut-job, enviro-libby-nazis we have in this god-forsaken hell-hole known as nj.
It said it was a native american prayer. So long as it paganism, it's o.k. in public schools.
'Frozen Bear killed by car'
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.