Wednesday, October 3 | 3:50PM to 4:40PM | CALHOUN

School-Site Visits: PREPARATION WORKSHOPS

The School of Zoological and Botanical Studies Magnet Program (ZooBot) is a school within a school magnet housed at Longleaf Middle School in Richland District Two. This one of a kind magnet program offers students real life experiences in care and conservation of living things and the environment. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden was instrumental in creating this magnet program and has continued to grow with ZooBot, customizing learning to meet the students' needs. Since the origin of ZooBot in 2009, additional partnerships have been established providing students further opportunities in real world learning. ZooBot students in each grade level (6-8) are off campus each month making what they learned in the classroom come alive.

Kristin Ziegler

Lead Teacher, School of Zoological and Botanical Studies Magnet Program (ZooBot), Richland School District Two, SC
Kristin Ziegler is the Lead Teacher of the School of Zoological and Botanical Studies (ZooBot) in Richland District Two. Kristin believes in the importance of expanding beyond the walls of the classroom to embrace nature thus enhancing student learning. Kristin's passion for care and conservation of the natural world is the cornerstone of the program. She infuses community-based learning with outdoor education to create a unique magnet program- ZooBot. This program was established for students with a love for animals, plants, and conserving the environment.
Kristin along with the teachers in the ZooBot magnet program have secured valuable community partnerships and mastered outdoor education to meet the needs of their students. Riverbanks Zoo and Garden has partnered with ZooBot for 10 years. Riverbanks has created exclusive real life educational experiences for ZooBot students.
Kristin obtained her Bachelors degree in Biology along with a Masters degree in Teaching from LaGrange College. She earned her Educational Specialist degree in Leadership from Arkansas State University. Kristin is a national board certified teacher in Science Early Adolescence.
Kristin was named the 2015-16 Richland County Conservation Teacher of the Year by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District. Kristin was also selected as the Teacher of the Year at Longleaf Middle School.
Kristin's goal is to make the world a better place by inspiring ZooBot magnet students to become stewards of the environment.