Andrew Marzuco watches a butterfly as it lands on his hand.

Students in Special Education teacher Kristi Cleghorn’s Life Skills class had the unique opportunity to raise caterpillars through their metamorphosis and then release their butterflies outside. This activity was part of a unit on studying life cycles, where the students also purchased a praying mantis habitat and grew their own sunflowers from seeds.

The class raised the funds for the project through Donors Choose, a nonprofit organization that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom projects. The entire project cost $439. Ms. Cleghorn enjoys being able to offer her students hands-on science activities. Her classroom serves students from sixth grade to their senior year. In her classroom, students have a variety of needs, and Ms. Cleghorn and her aides are always striving to find new and innovative ways of teaching. She says that this project is one of the students’ favorites; they love to watch the transformation of the caterpillars into butterflies with the live kits.

“My students are diverse learners, and they are smart, creative and curious. They enjoy the Life Skills class because of the hands-on activities we offer,” she says. “I want my students to have the best educational experiences, despite any challenges they may face.”