By Kim McDarison
“Gizmo,” “Sunny,” and “Thunder,” three young Nubian goats, were officially named and brought to meet the Jefferson elementary school-aged children who named them late last month, according to information recently released by the Friends of Goat Island Board President Melinda Perez.
The 8-month-old goat kids, along with their handlers, visited the School District of Jefferson’s three elementary schools throughout the morning and early afternoon Jan. 26.
Children assembled in each of the buildings to meet the goats which were named through contests held at each elementary school earlier in January.
During an interview conducted in early January, Perez noted that the contest in each school was guided by the building’s teachers, and revolved around pages which the children could color, featuring the Friends of Goat Island mascot, which is a goat named “Charlie.”
The children in each of the district’s elementary school buildings — East, West and Sullivan — were asked to decorate their pages and write a suggested name for one of the goats.
Following a selection process determined within each school, students within each building were given the honor of naming one of the three goat kids, Perez said.
Each building submitted one name, and then the Friends of Goat Island’s five-member board matched one of the three goats with one of the three names, she said.
In late January, the three newly named goats arrived to meet the children, who eagerly awaited their opportunity to visit with Gizmo, who was named by the students at West Elementary School; Sunny, who was given the name selected by students at East Elementary School, and Thunder, who was named by students attending Sullivan Elementary School.
Assemblies were held in each school building, Perez noted in a recent email.
The goats and their handlers traveled to Sullivan, where children assembled beginning at 9 a.m., to East, where children assembled at 10:30 a.m. and to West, where children assembled at 12:30 p.m.
Perez said between 200 and 300 children assembled in each school, where the excitement about meeting the goats was on full display.
Describing the enthusiasm, she said: “It was beyond amazing. All the kids were nothing but smiles. When we arrived, we got screams, the kids asked questions, and they wanted to pet the goats.”
Lavished with copious amounts of attention, Perez said the young ruminants “did amazingly well.”
The goats had been exposed to groups of people during Goat Fest, she said, when they were about 3 months old. During the school assemblies, she added, two offered some nervousness, but ultimately the animals enjoyed receiving affection, shown, she said, through “pets and love” from the children.
Along with the goats, several members of the Friends of Goat Island organization attended the assemblies, with Perez, and group members Jason Mirn, Allie Beirl and Jennifer Pitzner handling the animals.
The students also were treated to a short presentation about Goat Fest and Goat Island, Perez said, adding that the group sought to leave as much time as possible for the children to ask questions.
She said the children were very curious about the animals, asking questions revolving around their care, living conditions, and their seasonal stay on Goat Island.
At day’s end, Perez said, the three kids were “pretty exhausted.” Back in the truck for the journey home, the goats curled up together in a pile of hay.
The naming exercise was undertaken in keeping with one of the group’s missions, Perez stated in an earlier interview, which is to bring the community together while fostering a sense of pride and ownership in shared public spaces such as Goat Island, which is located in the Rock River, near its confluence with the Craw Fish River. The small island is situated near the shore of Jefferson’s downtown Riverfront Park.
During the assemblies, she said: “We got the exceptional joy we wanted to see on the kids’ faces. When we arrived at each school, we would ask if they knew their goat’s name. They all did and they would scream it out. It was heaven to hear it. The kids were so excited and so interested. It gave me the feeling that they care, and that’s what we wanted; we wanted them to know that the community cares about them as much as they cared about us.”
In the near future, Perez said, the pictures that were colored by the kids and used in the contest will be hung in public places. Those venues are yet to be determined.
The Friends group has obtained three sponsors to help it assemble backpacks that the students and teachers will each receive as a participation gift. The group is taking some time to fill the backpacks with things the recipients might like to have, like school supplies, and other items. The group anticipates ordering 1,000 backpacks, with plans to distribute them before the end of the school year, Perez said.
The three wethers, which is a term used by goat keepers for neutered males, will join the small herd of goats that will arrive this year on Goat Island to suppress weed growth throughout the warm-weather months.
When not on the Island, the goats live on a small farm near Jefferson where they receive care from members of the Friends of Goat Island organization, Perez said.
While the organization is not planning on obtaining more goats in the near future, Perez said she would like to develop ideas that can involve the district’s older students with the goats.
An earlier story about the goats, the island, and the naming contest is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/jefferson-elementary-school-students-to-name-goat-island-kids/.
Friends of Goat Island Board President Melinda Perez scratches 8-month-old Nubian goat kid “Gizmo” behind the ear, while a student attending West Elementary School pets Nubian kid “Sunny.” The children of West Elementary met three young goats late last month after participating in a goat-naming contest.
Friends of Goat Island members Melinda Perez, from left, Jennifer Pitzner, Jason Mirn, and Allie Beirl introduce three young goats, “Sunny,” from left, “Gizmo,” and “Thunder,” to second- and third-graders assembled at Sullivan Elementary School.
Friends of Goat Island members Jason Mirn, holding a young Nubian goat named “Thunder,” from left, Melinda Perez, holding Nubian goat “Sunny,” and Allie Beirl, who is standing behind “Gizmo,” greet students assembled at East Elementary School. The children are in grades 3-5.
Holding a young Nubian goat named “Sunny,” Friends of Goat Island Board President Melinda Perez, standing, at left, is joined by her middle-school-aged son, Mason, also standing and to her left. The pair presented one of three goats arriving at East Elementary school late last month. Members of the Friends organization presenting goats to grades K-2-aged students include Jason Mirn, at center, holding “Thunder,” and Jennifer Pitzner, holding “Gizmo.”
Children attending Sullivan Elementary School gather to meet three goats that will work this summer on Goat Island cropping weeds. The young goats were recently named by children attending elementary schools within the School District of Jefferson. After conducting a contest earlier this year, students within each of three elementary schools within the district collectively chose a name which was given by the Friends of Goat Island organization to one of three goats. Recently, the three goats visited each of the elementary schools.
After a full morning of meeting elementary-school-aged children within the School District of Jefferson, three young Nubian goats hop into a truck and hit the hay. The animals live on a farm in rural Jefferson County during cold-weather months and will join a small herd of goats that crop weeds on Goat Island during months with warm weather.
Contributed photos/Friends of Goat Island/Jill Beirl.
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