A nesting goose has become a fan favourite at a high school in South Surrey, and teachers and students have found a creative way to keep a watchful eye on the mom-to-be.
The young goose has made herself at home in an enclosed courtyard at Earl Marriott Secondary. She appeared just a few weeks ago, laying six eggs in a planter box. While staff questioned whether to move her, they ultimately decided to leave her be, naming her Gloria and coming up with a creative way to keep an eye on her.
“I think we are so special and so lucky that she’s chosen our space to be in,” said English and psychology teacher Shannon Ganshorn.
Ty Yamamoto, a visual arts teacher at the school, says he is using the unusual situation as a teaching opportunity.
“We could talk about broadcasting and livestreaming and that kind of setup, so we kind of thought there’s always livestreams of eagles’ nests, and other kinds of stuff, so we thought it would be really cool to have something that is local, that’s in our school.”
The livestream has garnered the attention of the school and the community, with students and faculty watching Gloria, even in their free time.
“When I first saw the livestream, I was like, wow, this is so amazing,” said Grade 10 student Nicholas McCrank.
“I actually really like Canadian geese. I like seeing them fly around, and the livestream is just so awesome.”
“It’s really nice, especially in my classroom, because we can always watch it, and at home sometimes, I’ll check in on Gloria just to see how she’s doing,” said Benjie Palansky, also in Grade 10.
With classrooms playing the feed, it has sparked conversations on the protected species.
“We did some research, and apparently they mate for life, and they also return to their previous breeding or nesting spots,” said Ganshorn
“If she has a good experience here, then hopefully she’ll come back in the future.”
The teens are giving Gloria her space in the courtyard while she waits for her goslings to hatch, which, according to faculty, could be soon — maybe even in time for Mother’s Day.