Bolles Middle School Bartram Campus sixth graders took a special trip to the Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens April 1 to get close-up experiences with the animals selected in their year-long class project centering on conservation.

Broken into Advisories, the Africa group chose hoofed animals (e.g. giraffes, zebras), while the Asia group selected Sumatran tigers. The Wild Florida Advisory selected striped newts, and the South American group picked penguins.

With guidance from Jacksonville Zoo educators, including project lead Emily Blum, the sixth graders spent time behind the scenes with their animals of choice, learning more about biodiversity and issues facing wildlife and wild places today. They students also delivered donated enrichment items for the animals.

View pictures from the final field trip of the Jacksonville Zoo project in our online photo gallery. #BollesBartram