On Feb. 20, the Wellness Committee got a grant for the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to visit the school to talk to students about their small animals as an activity for Mustang Strong Day.
Mustang Strong Day is a school day to help students focus on their mental and physical health through activities all around school instead of typical classes. One of these activities during the 2025 Mustang Strong Day was a Keeper Talk with the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It was about $800 for Lawrence Housley and Jill McCracken to get this Keeper Talk for Mustang Strong Day.
The expenses of both Housley and McCracken should justify why they chose the Zoo but some might question why the zoo was chosen for Mustang Strong Day due to its theme. Mr. Housley says “I just thought we could zazz up Mustang Strong this year. And I had thought about doing it last year, but we didn’t have time to reach out to them, so this year, I purposefully made sure I reached out to them in time. I just thought it’d be kind of a fun thing for kids to see some of the smaller animals they have. And just to learn something about animals and maybe get to hold them too.”
The keeper talk was also chosen because animals have a connection to people that make both the animal and the person feel better. “I think that something about animals can help emotional wellness,” McCracken said. “I have pets, and I love them, and I think exploring how animals can help us, and make us feel different things.”
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo also wants students to take away from these experiences not just new facts about animals, but also a new perspective on some species as well. “I really want them to connect with the creatures that we’re learning about and how they themselves can influence their conservation in the wild,” Angelina, a Wildlife Educator and Animal Advisor, said. “So you know what they can do to help in their hometown that can ultimately help animals across the world.”
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is located at 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd, Colorado Springs. The Zoo also has a program called Junior Zookeeper (JZK for short), but job applications require you to be 18 years or older to register. Anyone can donate to their multiple conservation efforts. If you wish to see the animals that were shown at the Keeper Talk, such as the Red Footed Tortoise (common name), Chelonoidis carbonaria (species name), Spotted Python Antaresia maculosa, Or even the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, Grophadorhia portentosa, you can find them at the Loft or in the Tree House at My Big Backyard.
