BUILDING THE IMPOSSIBLE: Kids learn about design, iguanas with biosphere project

If it's true that practically anything can be accomplished with just a little teamwork, then a project between a school and a community should be able to achieve something near impossible, such as creating a rainforest in the middle of a desert. And that's exactly what they did at John Vanderburg Elementary School in Henderson.

Scheduled to open Thursday, the 3,000-square-foot biosphere re-creates the rainforest environment with live plants and animals, rain, fog, thunder and lightning.

In reality it is a hands-on science laboratory, featuring several activity stations, as well as a storytelling amphitheater, according to school Principal Catherine Maggiore. Among the amenities planned are a museum resembling a Mayan temple filled with artifacts, an archaeological dig, greenhouse, computer station and iguana habitat.

The biosphere project started in 1996 under former Principal Carolyn Reedom and was originally planned as a 900-square-foot "greenhouse," according to Maggiore, who was vice principal at the time.

Bill Snyder, president of Tate Snyder Kimsey Architects in Henderson, is largely responsible for its dramatic transformation. He had worked with Reedom on the Marine Lab, a comparable project at Estes McDoniel Elementary School, as well as the McCaw School of Mines at McCaw Elementary School, both in Henderson.

Snyder said Reedom told him she wanted to make a little greenhouse in back of the school and asked if he would help.

"I attended a few meetings with her, staff members and parents. They weren't sure what they wanted to do and how to go about it. I told them not to set their sights on small things. `Don't tell me what you can afford. Tell me what you want to do,'" he said.

A cash donation from American Nevada Corp. got the project rolling.

During a six-month period, Snyder and other architects from the firm met with pupils and worked with the school's art classes on designing a rainforest. Youngsters were responsible for researching the habitat and its inhabitants. Then, they were challenged to build a model for the biosphere.

"It taught them how to work in teams, as well as about the rainforest," Snyder said.

Each team's design was presented to the master committee and evaluated. The best features of each project were incorporated into the overall design, which transformed the school's courtyard into the glass-domed biosphere.

Snyder said once they were done, the pupils truly understood the design process.

The design was a learning project for the youngsters, but the construction was a teaching tool for Plasterers and Cement Masons Local 797 and the architecture firm.

Apprentice plasterers learned the arts of rock carving, stone-face plastering and woodcarving while working on the project, Maggiore said.

"It's been an awesome opportunity for me," Ryan Cooley of Tate Snyder Kimsey said.

Cooley has been project superintendent of the biosphere since August 2001. He said it is an unusual role for an architect, who normally supplies the designs and checks on projects periodically.

Not only has he been on-site each day supervising the work, he, too, has learned how to carve rocks out of plaster and has helped design the iguana habitat and outside entry.

He said his biggest challenge has been creating a realistic environment while meeting building and safety codes.

Other employees of the architecture firm have also volunteered their time, building structures and painting walls.

"We (Tate Snyder Kimsey employees) fill in the gaps where we can. I love doing this for the kids," Cooley said with an animated voice and shining eyes that echoed the sentiment. "They'll be able to step into the storybook."

The biosphere was built with donations of materials, time and money from more than 45 area businesses, along with funds generated through school activities and federal grants. Snyder estimates it is worth about $1.4 million.

It will be home to Iggy, a 6-foot iguana; Ben, a Moluccan cockatoo; and Angel Baby, a sulfur-crested cockatoo, which live in the library and classrooms. Adding other animals such as tree frogs, butterflies and turtles, is under consideration, but Maggiore said they need to examine the logistics of caring for the animals and plants, especially on weekends and during track breaks.

After working the bugs out, so to speak, the biosphere will serve as a laboratory for the entire school district, particularly the primary grades. Maggiore said lesson plans are being designed for each grade level and she expects tours to begin in the spring.

Vanderburg fourth- and fifth-graders will serve as docents for pupils visiting from other schools. In addition, the biosphere will be accessible to other pupils worldwide via an interactive Web site.

Maggiore said the biosphere is an especially important project because it will teach students about the rainforest and how its preservation is essential.

"You can't learn science from a text book; it's more hands-on," said Maggiore, who taught for 20 years before becoming an administrator. "Even when something doesn't work, it's a learning experience. You understand why it failed."

In addition to environmental and life sciences, the biosphere has resulted in lessons tied to reading, writing, art and social studies.

Snyder said he is a firm believer in such projects.

"When kids walk into the biosphere and see a 6-foot iguana, it gives them a whole new perspective to go into the library and get a book about iguanas. Some kids need added reinforcement to help them learn and these projects do that," said the father of two grown sons.

In addition, he said the can-do spirit will follow the children throughout their lifetimes.

"They will tell their adult friends in the future, `You know, when I went to school we built a rainforest in the middle of my school, so don't tell me we can't do this.'"S U N D A Y , N O V E M B E R 3 , 2 0 0 2

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