Katie Hergenreder
Awarded in Summer 2018
The new Animal Science class & Concentration program at Foxcroft provided the fodder for STEM teacher Katie Hergenreder’s Kenan Grant. Hergenreder’s first challenge was to determine the curriculum for the Animal Science class, a prerequisite of the Animal Science Concentration, and a class that must prepare the girls for the added rigor of this concentration, which also includes Biology as a co-requisite, another nine hours of math and science classes, an independent research project, plus an internship and active club involvement.
By focusing on inspiring and empowering students to contribute to the vibrant local community of agricultural and wildlife organizations, Hergenreder has created a dynamic and hands-on Animal Science curriculum that will prepare the girls for their eventual internships at those organizations. The class covers an introduction to common and comparative anatomy, digestion and nutrition, wildlife rehabilitation, and common injuries and illness.
It all came together beautifully in the fall of 2018-19 with students working in The Innovation Lab on their Animal Adaptations projects; working with the school ponies at the barn to learn how to take temperature, pulse, and respiration; and welcoming the wildlife rehabilitator Blue Ridge Wildlife Center and several of their animal ambassadors for a community-wide presentation, followed by a special presentation just for the Animal Science class.
In addition to planning curriculum, much of Hergenreder’s summer was spent reaching out to local organizations to establish relationships to create opportunities for student internships and arrange for visits and presentations at Foxcroft or off-campus sites to further develop the Animal Concentration program.
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