It looked as if Noah’s Ark had docked at Price’s Fork Elementary of Friday, April 5th, 2001 The classrooms were filled with bees, lizards, snakes, cockatiels, parakeets, cockroaches, giant millipedes, fish, and peacocks.
    It was all part of the school’s first Shopping Cart Curriculum Day. The idea began as a suggestion from Dreama Webb, a parent who was on the school’s planning team in the spring of 2000. She expressed a concern that children had little choice in their learning and that she felt that children needed to learn some of what they wanted to learn. She suggested that children – at sometime during the school year – should be able to choose learning opportunities, much as you choose food from the shelves of a supermarket and place it into your shopping cart. That thought guided the planning team as they made long-range goals for the school. A goal based on student choice in learning became a school goal.  
    Teachers Mindi Walker, Nancy Kaloupek, Jane Ann Wells, Vicki Tolbert, and Beth MacDonald took the planning team’s idea this fall and began to make plans. Each child in the school was surveyed to determine areas of learning interest. The number one topic that was selected was “Animals.” The team of teachers began to brainstorm possible presenters of information, looking first within the school’s community. They later branched out to the larger community of Blacksburg and Virginia Tech.
    For the day of learning, students were grouped into multi-age groups. Each student participated in two learning choices. Teachers remained at their learning stations and the children moved to them.
    Presenters in seventeen stations came loaded with sample animals and much knowledge. Rose Norris, the parent of a first grader, talked with the children about birds. Chris Wakely presented a session on horseshoeing and the work of a ferrier. A favorite session was presented by Matt Humphries from the Blacksburg Parks and Recreation Department who brought in live snakes which the children were able to touch and hold. Lois Swoboda from Virginia Tech discussed insects and their impact on our lives. Bats were the topic of discussion for Wilmoth O’Dell. Dr. Jim Parkhurst from Virginia Tech talked about animals in conflict with nature. Dr. George Glasson and Dan Dolan gave a presentation on the interconnectedness of all of earth’s systems. Tobias Hutchinson was the expert on butterflies. Michael Haubner brought artifacts and information from his travels to Brazil. Dr. Rick Fells conducted an entertaining discussion about bees. Sarah Finkner brought in pet birds for the children to handle. Dr. Kay Schwink, local horse surgeon, talked about horses. Jeff Marion discussed things to remember when you go camping. Brian Stephens demonstrated the art of fly fishing. Dr. Bern Gross showed the children a peacock. Travis Morgan talked about predator and prey.
    To extend the learning the school applied for and received a Children At-Promise Grant from the Montgomery County School Board. The grant permitted the school to purchase several hundred new books for the school’s library. The upgraded collection of books will permit the children to continue to pursue their individual learning interests.   
    Shopping Cart Days continue today at Price’s Fork. The days have taken a similar structure but have focused on a variety of subject areas. Topics have included math, art, and social studies.