Brielle Kipyegon, 10, left, Finn Thompson, 7, center, and Caleb Cruz, 7, right, handle child tortoises at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has a city farm and an animal lab where students look after and learn about more than a lots various type of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeFinn Thompson, 7, left, and Caleb Cruz, 7, right, hold a corn snake named Flash at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has an urban farm and an animal lab where students care for and learn more about more than a dozen various type of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeBella Cruz, 9, feeds a goat called S & #x 2019; mores at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has an urban farm and an animal laboratory where students care for and find out about more than a dozen various sort of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeCadence Lewis, 9, left, holds a hamster called Midnight as Bella Cruz, 9, right, holds a hamster named Choco at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has an urban farm and an animal lab where trainees take care of and discover more than a lots various sort of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeBella Cruz, 9, holds a bunny named Hopster beside Cadence Lewis, 9, at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has an urban farm and an animal laboratory where students look after and learn more about more than a dozen various type of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeBella Cruz, 9, feeds a goat called S & #x 2019; mores at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has a city farm and an animal laboratory where students take care of and discover more than a lots various type of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeBella Cruz, 9, left, and Cadence Lewis, 9, right, hold a black bear hamster called Brownie at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has a city farm and an animal lab where students take care of and discover more than a dozen different type of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeJennifer Maher, magnet style coordinator, pulls out a boa constrictor to reveal trainees at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has a metropolitan farm and an animal lab where trainees look after and discover more than a lots various kinds of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeCadence Lewis, 9, left, and Bella Cruz, 9, right, hold a African fat failed gecko name Mikey at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has an urban farm and an animal lab where trainees care for and discover more than a dozen various sort of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeCadence Lewis, 9, holds a hamster at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has a metropolitan farm and an animal lab where trainees care for and learn about more than a lots different type of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeBrielle Kipyegon, 10, feeds a tortoise called Poptart at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has a metropolitan farm and an animal lab where students look after and find out about more than a dozen different sort of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeBrielle Kipyegon, 10, left, Finn Thompson, 7, center, and Caleb Cruz, 7, right, handle child tortoises at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has a city farm and an animal lab where trainees look after and discover more than a dozen different sort of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeBrielle Kipyegon, 10, feeds a goat named Maybelle at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has a city farm and an animal lab where students care for and find out about more than a dozen various type of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__raeThe garden at Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet Elementary School in Las Vegas, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. The school has a city farm and an animal lab where trainees care for and learn about more than a dozen various kinds of animals. (Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @rookie__rae
Life sciences instructor Kim Law gave instructions to 9-year-old Kendall Cass, who will take a snake out of a cage: "Not around your neck with the huge one."

Hoggard Math & & Science Magnet School, an elementary school in the Clark County School District, has an out-of-the-ordinary offering: an animal laboratory.

Looking after the animals at the central Las Vegas school teaches kids duty, Law said. "My focus this year has actually been a bit more on sustainable living."

Hoggard has around 155 animals, consisting of parakeets, infant quail, sheep, potbellied pigs, goats, chickens, tortoises, geckos, snakes, chinchillas and rabbits.

Generally, Hoggard has between 130 and 135 animals on school. Existing numbers are up a little, thanks to a recent influx of guinea pigs - - four of which recently gave birth.

" We get a lot of animals provided to us," Law stated.

The school gets permission from the school district's danger management department to have each animal on school. Animals need to be nonaggressive given that they're around kids.

Some animals live inside in a big room at the school The outside animals remain in fenced locations at the center of campus.

Hoggard likewise has an urban garden and tanks with fish that are part of a system used to grow plants without soil.

Popular magnet school.

The school, on North Tonopah Drive, was restored a number of years earlier after the old structure - - which opened in 1952 - - was taken apart.

The replacement school, in its 2nd year of usage, was developed with the animals in mind.

Hoggard Principal Stacey Scott-Cherry stated the animal laboratory is a significant draw for the school and a huge source of pride.

It provides an unusual opportunity for students living in the desert to see things like sheep being sheared, and to engage with uncommon indoor animals, she stated.

Taking care of animals

Hoggard students take Law's class as soon as a week for a term.

Fourth and 5th graders deal with animal care. Schoolwide, it's a group effort to collect chicken eggs during the day, which are cleaned and graded by students.

Hoggard also has a "zookeepers club." It's so popular that roughly 200 students - - about half the trainee body - - participates.

Law runs the club every weekday early morning, with various grade levels can be found in each early morning. She likewise has moms and dad volunteers.

Law is at Hoggard every day, even on weekends and school holidays, taking care of the animals. It's the very first year she has a full-time aide - - an 18-year-old former trainee - - to help her with the program. Kids can likewise take animals house over the weekends and during the summertime.

Fundraising, partnerships

The school district has dozens of magnet schools - - including Hoggard - - that have actually specialized programs. They're totally free to participate in.

Families look for the magnet programs, which draw trainees from throughout the valley.

If there are more candidates than available seats, a lotto is carried out. The application deadline was in January for next school year.

This academic year, 737 applications were sent for Hoggard's 121 seats - - 84 of which remained in kindergarten.

Fundraising occurs to assist cover program expenses, however the school also offers its chicken eggs.

It costs about $1,000 monthly for food for the animals, Law said. She spends for new cages and veterinarian expenses herself as a contribution to the school.

The school works and accepts financial donations with neighborhood members who have an interest in contributing an animal. A Girl Scout just recently built a habitat for the school's three desert tortoises.

The school likewise has a variety of collaborations, such as with a veterinarian's workplace, that offers vaccinations to the large animals and with 4-H, which does sheep shearing.

To make a contribution, call the school at 702-799-4740.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.