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Generation Sunshine State Standards and approximately 20,000
students are reached annually- every elementary student in Collier
County Public Schools. The entire grade level has the opportunity
to participate, either live or via video after the event. The teachers
are prepared in advance and are provided with lessons and
activities for their students, including a conservation action for
each species.
“It is important to let children know that no matter how young
they are, they have big voices and there are many things they can
do to protect wildlife,” Stacy Graison, Naples Zoo’s Director of
Education said.
In the past, students have raised funds for fosa radio collars,
sold giraffe bracelets to their peers for giraffe research funding, and
they have had adults make commitments for panthers and bears.
Even the kindergarten students create posters for their schools to
raise awareness on ways to live safely with alligators.
This is no small undertaking. CCPS brings their production
truck and team to the Zoo in advance for setup. It takes several
Zoo staff also on hand to make sure the animals are safe, teachers
and students are ready, the zookeeper and field biologist are ready,
and the CCPS team can do what they need to do on Zoo grounds
as well as ensuring each school’s connections are ready. One
connection we make goes all the way to Namibia!
President and CEO of Naples Zoo, Jack Mulvena, explains
“the partnership the Zoo has with Collier County Public Schools
is critically important. Having the opportunity to connect with
so many students
through distance
learning supports
our mission of
ZooCon is a live broadcast from Naples Zoo to the education and
televisions of CCPS classrooms. Through ZooCon, students from conservation. We
kindergarten to fifth grade are given the chance to connect with are very proud of
our zookeepers and scientists from the field, ask questions live, and this partnership
get up-close views of our incredible animal residents. with CCPS, and
Every program includes a special discussion with Naples Zoo’s we look forward
animal care experts, our zookeepers. They share the stories of their to educating many
careers and their relationships with the animals they spend their more students for
lives caring for. In addition, most programs include a conversation years to come.”
with one of our partners, a biologist or researcher in the field.
This school year, fifth graders learned about
Florida panthers from Dave Onorato, Florida
Panther Researcher from the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Fourth graders will learn about the fosa from
National Geographic Explorer and researcher
Dr. Luke Dollar. In February, third graders
will learn about African lions from Dr. Amy
Dickman, the founder of the Ruaha Carnivore
Project. In March, second graders will learn
about giraffes from Dr. Julian Fennessy,
the founder of the Giraffe Conservation
Foundation in Africa. In April, first grade
students will learn about bears from Sarah
Peltier, black bear biologist with FWC.
Each ZooCon program follows Next

Life in Naples | January 2019 35 35