For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Media Contact: Jessica Sacco
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: jessica@jgpr.net

Cooperative Middle School Students Attend Opening Night of ‘Penguins’ to Raise Money for Wildlife Conservation

EXETER — A group of Cooperative Middle School students and teachers recently attended the premiere of Disneynature’s “Penguins” to raise money for the Wildlife Conservation Network

On Wednesday, April 17, seventh grade students and their families joined English teacher Kelly O’Neill, science teacher Kathryn Smith, social studies teacher Derek Leslie and math teacher Thomas Witmer Jr. for the opening night premiere of “Penguins.”

The movie tells the story of an Adélie penguin, who joins millions of other males in the Antarctic as they work to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family. None of this comes without its challenges, as killer whales and leopard seals threaten the penguins’ way of life.

For each ticket that was sold during opening week, April 17-23, Disneynature donated 20 cents to the Wildlife Conservation Network through the Disney Conservation Fund to support penguin conservation. The premiere also coincided with seventh grade students’ persuasive essay unit on writing about the endangered world, including Adélie penguins.

“With 66 attendees, we helped make the Earth a safer, healthier place for all,” O’Neill said. “It was great to see so many students take an interest in learning outside the classroom, while supporting worldwide conservation efforts.”

As part of their English class assignment, students each randomly chose an endangered animal to research and write about, which they will present to classmates on May 8. In small groups, students also created public service announcements and infographics about animals impacted around the globe by pollution, poaching, deforestation, climate change and warfare.

“When researching and watching the movie, just the thought of penguins disappearing made me tear up,” seventh grade student Katelyn Rice said. “I kept wondering how me, my friends, and my family can help the penguins around the world.”

The project is one O’Neill has organized for the last 10 years, which incorporates seeing a showing of the newest Disneynature film available.

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