Furry and feathered guests visit Park Elementary

Park Elementary students received a healthy dose of laughs, “oohs” and “ahhs” during a presentation, “Friends and Choices” by Greg Olson of Critters and Co.

Olson visits Park every four years with his troupe of animals and assistant Diane Olson, who he introduced as his best friend and wife. Olson uses the animals to illustrate how they react to their environments and how often times, those reactions are similar to how people respond to each other.

“There’s so much related to people and animals, it’s unreal,” he said.
Critters and Co. Inc. is a Buffalo based organization that travels to schools across Minnesota during the year to give the presentation. More than 30 animals are used during the various programs and Olson usually travels with five creatures.

“The kids are really engaged by this,” Assistant Principal Lori VanderHeiden said.

The five animals used in “Friends and Choices” are intended to represent five themes to emphasize friendships and respect toward animals and people.

Bianca was the first animal presented to the students. Bianca is a 55-year-old salmon-crested ******atoo that enjoys her personal space. Park teacher Niesha Withers demonstrated how keeping an arms length away from the bird kept it comfortable and Olson explained to students that people are the same way. When Bianca’s space was invaded, she spread her feathers out appearing much larger than she actually was.

“Dogs, birds and animals puff themselves up when they’re scared or angry, and interestingly, so do people,” Olson told the students. “So when you see someone on the playground puffing themselves us, just leave them alone for a while.”

For the full story, check out the Thursday, Jan. 25 print edition of the Leader.

(Lesley Christianson is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader.)
christianson@hutchinsonleader.com