Alligator will be “class pet” at Rawlings Elementary School

The St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park informed Historic City News today that Canaan Kimball, a student attending PVPV Rawlings Elementary School, is the winner in the 6th Annual Edu-Gator Contest.

The prize, a young American alligator, will be awarded to Canaan’s classroom on Wednesday, April 2 at 10:00 a.m. Katie Girvin, Curator of Education at the Alligator Farm, will make the presentation.

The young alligator is being awarded after a request for an annual county-wide contest in which each fourth grade student was asked to submit an individual project answering the question “Why are American Alligators important?” This year’s winning entry, a book highlighting the importance of American alligators, illustrated with Legos, from Canaan Kimball of PVPV Rawlings Elementary School is being awarded first place.

Canaan and the rest of Ms. Kulick’s fourth grade class will enjoy the unusual class pet, an American alligator for the remainder of the school year.

An Alligator Farm reptile keeper will check on the animal periodically, but daily care of the young alligator will be provided by the teacher and her class. The Alligator Farm provides animal husbandry training to the teacher of the winning class.