STARKVILLE, Miss. (Friday, November 5) — At Millsaps Vocational Technical Center, Margaret Swedenburg’s Agriculture II class created habitats suitable for Mississippi wildlife. 

Swedenburg instructed students to make a model based off native species of Mississippi. Once the students chose their species, they used materials they gathered to best create the environment that suited that species. 

Junior Skylar Flores learned where and how species thrive in specific areas.   

“I learned about the native wildlife species in Mississippi and their habitats,” Flores said. 

Agriculture students learned about how species nest and what they feed on.  

“We chose our species. We then used materials we gathered to best create an environment that fits them,” Junior Ethan Hicks said. 

Students were given four days to complete research and construction of their models.  

“For the model portion we had a week (school week) and one day to put it together,” Hicks said.  

Swedenburg’s lesson was specifically geared toward native wildlife species in Mississippi for the purpose of exposing students to species of their home state.  

“The habitat model project was a way for the students to create a visible model to better understand why particular species live in Mississippi,” Swedenburg said.   

Students’ projects were judged by a panel. Winners were Skylar Flores’ and Lanasia Smith’s habitats of cottontail rabbit, Eastern Gray squirrel, barrel owl, Mallard duck, blue catfish, white-tail deer, turkey, raccoon, box turtle and largemouth bass.