Somers Youth Focus: Snail Pals!

SOMERS, N.Y. - Escargot are family, not food.

Eighth-grade students studying French at Somers Middle School adopted “snails” as part of their year-end review. The snails were actually shells provided by their teacher that students could then decorate to make their own. Some chose to paint their shells, while others glued on googly eyes. Each snail turned out as unique as the student who adopted it.

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“My snail’s name is Lucy and she lives in my mug,” said Niamh O’Connor.

Each student filled out an adoption form in French, answering questions about themselves, how they would care for their new snail, and what kind of snail they were hoping to adopt. Once their adoption paperwork was approved, all students took an Oath of Adoption and promised to care for their snails.

“We also had to answer questions about things that make us responsible owners, such as what will they eat and what will they do,” Lily Lassen said.

Another part of the assignment was to build a new home for their snail. Students were able to express their creativity by using a variety of objects and containers. Some students opted for simple plastic containers outfitted with natural materials such as rocks and grass, while others picked more elaborate containers like a large coffee mug, a shoe box, and a lunch box. Many students added personalized decorations to make their snails feel welcome.

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“Her name is Collette,” said Hazel Sledzik. “There was a question about what my snail would like to do. I said she’d like to listen to music. I decorated my snail house with pictures of albums I like.”

Finally, students created baby books of places where they took their snails. Snails were taken home, around the school, to different classes, the park, restaurants, and even on vacation. Along the way, students took pictures of their snails to add to their baby book and then included captions in French about the picture.

“On Memorial Day I was in a beach community in Connecticut,” said Hazel, “and I brought my snail. It was fun finding spots to take pictures with her on vacation.”

Applying to adopt an escargot and creating a baby book helped students review content they learned this year in a new and engaging way and helped them prepare for their FLACS exams.

“It helped us review a lot of older words from earlier in the year because we had to answer questions on the adoption papers which were all in French,” Madison Kaplan said.

Article courtesy of Somers Central School District.

Is your child’s Scout Troop working on a community service project? Did their team bring home a championship? Is there a youth program you would like to recognize or an upcoming event we should know about? We want to hear from you! In this special section we aim to highlight the youth of our community, including sports, Scouting, and any other programs or events affiliated with the school district. Please send photos and story ideas to somersrecord@halstonmedia.com .

Youth Focus is proudly sponsored by our friends at Bridgham Barr Orthodontics, located at 293 Route 100 in Somers. Learn more at www.bbosmiles.com

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