
Millie
the
cow
is
officially
the
class
pet
of
Nathalie
Crawford's
first
grade
class
at
Marshall
Elementary
School,
while
Elsie
the
cow
is
viewed
as
a
family
member
by
Virginia
Pre-School
Initiative
(VPI)
students
in
Emily
Sasz's
class
at
Featherstone
Elementary
School.
Both
calves
are
making
learning
more
exciting.
Crawford's
love
for
animals
sparked
her
desire
for
her
class
to
adopt
a
class
pet.
While
scrolling
through
social
media,
she
came
across
Discover
Dairy,
an
organization
that
coordinates
an
adopt-a
cow-program
for
classes.
Crawford
filled
out
an
enrollment
and
then
was
registered
to
adopt
a
dairy
calf
for
the
school
year.
Every
year,
Sasz
teaches
her
VPI
classes
at
Featherstone
Elementary
about
the
farm.
Her
lessons
usually
include
hands-on
learning
through
Virginia
Cooperative
Extension's
4-H
Embryology
project,
which
involves
caring
for
chicken
eggs.
But
after
seeing
an
advertisement
by
Discovery
Dairy,
she
thought
adopting
a
cow
would
be
a
better
fit
for
this
school
year.
Discover
Dairy
connected
the
classes
with
Catawba
View
Dairy
farm
in
Fincastle,
Virginia.
Millie,
who
was
born
on
October
6,
2020,
was
paired
with
Crawford's
class,
while
Elsie,
who
was
born
on
September
21,
2020,
was
paired
with
Sasz's
class.
Millie
and
Elsie
are
Jersey
calves.
Discover
Dairy
also
provided
activity
sheets
and
suggested
lessons
for
students,
while
Catawba
View
Dairy
sends
photos
and
information
throughout
the
school
year
to
show
how
the
calves
are
growing.
Both
teachers
incorporate
their
adopted
cows
into
class
lessons.
For
example,
during
a
science
lesson
about
animals,
Crawford's
students
learned
what
Millie
needs
to
survive.
"We
have
also
talked
about
the
differences
between
wild
animals
and
domestic
animals
and
how
Millie
is
a
tame
(domestic)
animal
because
she
is
cared
for
by
her
owner,"
Crawford
explained.
Millie
will
also
make
an
appearance
in
an
upcoming
lesson
about
facts
and
opinions
and
a
compare-and-contrast
unit.
"They
love
having
Millie
as
our
class
pet
and
look
forward
to
the
updates
from
our
host
farm.
They
want
to
go
visit
her
at
her
farm
one
day,"
Crawford
said.
Sasz's
students
have
learned
what
Elsie
eats
and
that
she
has
her
own
bedroom,
called
a
calf
hutch.
"They
want
to
send
her
cards
because
she
is
a
part
of
our
school
family.
We
wish
we
could
visit
her,"
Sasz
shared.
At
the
end
of
the
school
year,
Catawba
View
Dairy
Farm
will
invite
students
to
a
live
chat
with
their
adopted
cow
via
YouTube.