A little news from Melissa Whelan Wisk, principal of Mother Teresa Regional School, Atlantic Highlands ...

Students and faculty are chirping about new members in the community at Mother Teresa Regional School, Atlantic Highlands. 

The students in the school’s science elective program are raising chicks. 

The eggs arrived last Monday from Quiver Farms in Pennsylvania.  Each day, students were responsible for turning the eggs and filling the incubator with water until Friday of last week. Then it was time to wait. 

While students had the day off on Monday, the chicks began to hatch.  Numbers six and 12 were the first to be discovered when principal, Melissa Whelan Wisk, and seventh grade students, Olivia, Ericka, and Grace stopped by school. 

“We were so excited to see the chicks but we were hoping to see numbers two and three hatch since they are our chicks for the elective” explained Grace.  Some of the chicks were videotaped while hatching and their hatching is posted on the school Web site.

The chicks will remain at school until Friday when they will be picked up returned to life on the farm.

Students have enjoyed naming the chicks and will study their growth this week.  “Ying” was the first chick to hatch.

“This is the first year that we were able to name a chick and be responsible for an egg, so I was excited when I was at school Monday night when it hatched” Wisk said.  Students have learned how to teach their chicks to recognize food and water as they live the remainder of the week in the brooder box.   Each middle school science class will be keeping a journal about the chicks. 

For more information on the chicks or the school visit mtregional.com.