When Grade 10, 11 and 12 students from École Desrochers arrived at school on the morning of Monday, March 2, they were greeted by their eager biology teacher, Jocelyn Nadeau, who quickly told them to put their coats back on.

They were about to experience an extraordinary lesson in animal dissection and anatomy.

Jackets on, the students traveled over to the Jasper Transfer Station to meet Parks Canada Wardens Terry Winkler and Patti Walker, along with a recently deceased elk. 

Nadeau had received a call minutes earlier from Winkler, who himself had just received a call from CN about a yearling elk that had been hit by a train previously that morning. 

“We’re very fortunate to have small classes, flexible educators who work so closely together, along with knowledgeable and interested community members,” said École Desrochers teacher Kim Wallace, whose Grade 10 English class was cancelled for the occasion. “The combination can provide some phenomenal opportunities for our students.”

The students, excited but nervous about the exceptional learning opportunity, listened as Winkler outlined the circumstances of the animal’s death, the process of the dissection, as well as possible findings within the juvenile animal’s organs, including liver flukes and other parasites wild animals have to deal with. 

Respectfully dissecting the elk, Winkler pointed out the internal organs of the ungulate. 

With no yawning going on in this class, the students all paid close attention to what their “step-in” teacher was saying and doing. “I thought it was an amazing learning experience that let us work hands-on with the material we learned on paper. I think that dissection should be a mandatory aspect when learning biology,” said Grade 12 student Clara Waxer.

When asked about his motivation for this type of class, Nadeau said, “I wanted to give the students the opportunity to live an authentic experience of something usually taught only in textbooks. It will help me make links when I am explaining the human body.” 

“Partnerships between the professionals in our community and our local schools are beyond value,” said Wallace. She added the students recognized the value of learning about a local animal whose population has been affected by human impact. “That elk’s life didn’t go to waste,” she said.

Amy Saunders is a Grade 11 student at École Desrochers.