Blue skies, green grasses, chirping birds and a dead stuffed coyote. Welcome to Room 504, the host of Southwest’s latest innovation – the Learning Lair.
The Lair began last year with an idea from science department chair, Dr. Lynn Martens and help from science teacher Dianne Dunn.
Martens attended a school district where many of the high schools had environmental labs and that inspired her to want to create something similar here.
“I wanted to establish something like what I had available in the Shawnee Mission district,” she said. “There is no reason we can’t have something at least as good, if not better.”
Thus Martens began work on gaining support from the principal.
“I couldn’t even dream of doing this until Scott Roberts had okayed it,” she said.
After Roberts backed it, Martens presented the idea to the students who were supportive from the onset.
The next most pressing matter became funding. The Blue Valley Foundation of Education donated $5,000. Other various items and funding came from teachers and students.
With funds and supplies, Martens requested the help of her students in designing it.
“At first it was kind of hard to see what her vision was for it,” senior Kayla Yi said. “I thought it was kind of going to be teachers displaying what their respective classes were. Now I think this will help kids gain a better understanding of science and gain appreciation for it.”
Last year’s AP Biology class decided they wanted grasses and the sky and clouds for the overall encompassing decor. They worked on every detail in setting it up.
Preparations began as early as spring break, but didn’t really go into full swing until after AP testing. However, there were always features being added, including taxidermied animals.
“It was pretty funny to see Doc get overly excited about bidding for taxidermy,” Yi said. “Every time she won something she’d pull it up and show us. We had a lot of dead stuff in the classroom for a while.”
Working on this project created a relaxed atmosphere for classmates.
“With all the people in that class we got really close because we were working together,” she said. “We were already on close terms because it was such a small class, but that got everyone more comfortable working with each other. It was really fun to help build the Learning Lair.”
The Lair houses 12 stations beginning with the ‘tools of science’ progressing to fossils and organisms and so on until the final station which is pollution and human’s carbon footprint on the earth. The Lair follows the kindergarten through eighth grade curriculum.
On Sep. 13 the Lair opened up to the district. Students were able to volunteer and give tours to guests.
“The opening was awesome,” junior Sarah Murphy said. “A bunch of teachers came in and signed up to look at the place and to have field trips at the Lair.”
Schools within the district can sign up to take their students to see the Lair. During these visits Southwest students may give tours. There will be trainings for potential tour guides.
“I think it’s a really great idea,” Yi said. “It’s something different and not a lot of high schools have it. It will help incoming freshmen get a better understanding of what teachers look for in science classes at the high school level.”
