ASHEBORO — In a young person’s wildest dreams, school might take place at the zoo — passing giraffes and animal exhibits to spend the day learning with the resources of the world’s largest natural habitat zoo at their fingertips. That dream is a reality at the Asheboro High School Zoo School.
Students begin their day with one or two classes at Asheboro High School’s main campus before heading to the North Carolina Zoo to take elective science and CTE agriscience courses at the Zoo School. The program operates on a small property at the zoo, where Asheboro City Schools rents a trailer that serves as classroom space—though it does not include lab facilities.
Students gain hands-on learning opportunities with animal behavior, zoology and natural resources, in addition to traditional agriculture classes such as horticulture and animal science. While they don’t work directly with animals due to liability concerns, teachers and zoo staff collaborate to create lessons that allow students to observe animals and occasionally go behind the scenes with zookeepers.
In 2015, Asheboro High School launched the Asheboro Zoo Future Farmers of America chapter. FFA is the nation’s leading school-based youth leadership development organization, with more than 1 million members in over 9,000 local chapters across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Of all those chapters, Asheboro’s is the only one headquartered at a zoo. About 40 students at Asheboro High School participate in the Zoo School.
Claire Fields, chapter president and recent Asheboro High School graduate, said her time with FFA and Zoo School shaped her future in unexpected ways.
“I got involved with FFA at the end of my first year, and I’ve been in the program ever since,” Fields said. “I’ve been in chapter officer circles for three years, and I’ve had a number of really cool experiences through FFA. I would definitely say this experience has had a major impact on what I’m doing in the future.”
Bound for NC State in the fall, Fields said she was drawn to career and technical education, which is part of the agriculture curriculum, but ultimately found her passion in research and development.
“It’s not all about farming,” said Zoo School coordinator Brooke Davis. “There are opportunities here for students who aren’t necessarily interested in traditional farming, and our partnership with the zoo helps because they get to see the connections to different ways of working with animals, like horticulture tracks that feed into zoo careers.”
“We’ve seen students become public safety officers and graphic designers,” said 2019 alumna and FFA adviser Nathaly Trinidad. “Everyone doesn’t necessarily become a zookeeper.”
Learning at the Zoo School is an active and immersive experience. Students tackle real-world problems through hands-on projects, collaborative group work and technology-based assignments, all while using the zoo’s 2,600-acre natural habitat as a living, breathing classroom.
The Zoo School’s model — blending FFA with strong ties to the North Carolina Zoo — creates a transformative learning environment.
“It’s not just a club; it’s a whole different mindset,” Fields said.
