Schools Not Involved In Wolf "Naming" Contest
	From the April, 2000

By Lisa Parker
Sun-News

At least one Silver City resident was concerned Tuesday after reading about a contest asking local school children to help "name" forthcoming Mexican gray wolf pups.

Elmer Romero read about the contest in the Monday edition of the Silver City Daily Press. The article says the contest is sponsored by the Tucson, Ariz.-based Center for Biological Diversity, and invites school children, grades kindergarten through eighth, to submit a drawing of a wolf in its "forest habitat," a suggested puppy name, and an essay on "why wolves are important." Entries are to be sent to the Center's Tucson office.

The article says entries should include the student's name, along with the name of the student's school and teacher. "Teachers of winning students will receive a wolf print to display in their classrooms," the article said.

Romero said he was concerned that the schools might be involved in an issue as controversial as the wolf, and called Frank Quarrell, associate superintendent of learning services, to see what the schools' involvement is.

Romero is retired and has grandchildren throughout the district's schools, he said. He helped organize the Wolf Rally held in Glenwood in late February, where half a day's worth of speakers gave their reasons for not supporting wolf reintroduction.

He said he received assurance from Quarrell that the school district is not involved in the contest. He also received a copy of the district's policy on contests in the schools, which states "No contests of any nature shall be conducted in the schools except those sponsored by school authorities or which are considered by the superintendent as being essential for carrying forward the educational program of the schools."

Silver schools Superintendent Dick Pool said Tuesday that he knew nothing about the Center's contest. Center personnel had not contacted the school district, he said, and added, "I don't want the kids -- I don't want the schools -- to get involved in something controversial. ... We're very selective in the things we get involved in. We have to be."

Pool said the district's "major concern is protecting instructional time."

Cobre Superintendent Anna Perez had similar feelings, saying "We do hold instructional time sacred. ... What we usually do here is, before anything is distributed in the schools, it has to be approved by the central office."

Only programs deemed instructional and valuable to students are introduced into the schools, she said, citing the Allstate Fire Safety Certificate program as an example. "Very definitely students need to learn about fire safety," she explained.

The Cobre District was also not contacted by the Center regarding the contest, Perez said.

A call to the Center's office in Tucson requesting comment was not returned Tuesday afternoon.

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