Ella Elementary summer school students in Olivehurst march for environment

The third-graders stomped along the sidewalk Friday chanting "Save the animals" and waving picket signs, which included colorful drawings and slogans of "Don't kill animals, like zebras and cheetahs" and "Save a tree, save a home."

They may be budding environmental activists, but the Ella Elementary students were also celebrating the end of an eco-minded summer school session, where they spent the last 20 days learning about endangered species, habitats and what they can do to help. Marching on Olivehurst Avenue, they hoped they could draw attention to an important problem.

"We can hold up our signs and by looking toward us sideways, people will see them and not poach and will think about endangered animals," said Robert Hall, 8.

The 30 students shouted "Don't litter" and "Save the sea turtles" over a bullhorn as they strode in circles in front of the school. Then they took their message inside, their passionate voices echoing through hallways as they visited other grades.

Storming classrooms, they cried out, "Winter, spring, summer, fall. Ella students save them all."

Rosa Corona, 8, vigorously waved her "Would it hurt you to care?" poster back and forth.

"Stop killing animals. They need to be alive like us," she said. "They are endangered because people take their fur and cut off their heads and put them on their wall, and that's not nice."

Damen Vaughn, 9, said poachers are killing all kinds of important animals.

"Pandas are endangered, bears are endangered, the giraffes are endangered," he said. "And if we don't have them around, they won't be here to help us."

Deforestation is another problem, said Jose Hernandez, 8.

"Because there's animals in there, like birds and squirrels," he said.

"And the trees let us breathe," added classmate Justin Negrete. "If we don't have no trees, we might die and be extinct," he said.

The 8-year-old said sea turtles are his passion.

"They are really fancy animals," he said. "People use them for their shells and I don't think we need to kill them ... If we didn't have sea turtles, people would be sad."

Students wore specially made T-shirts that said "Ella-vate your voice. The world can't afford poor choices." Every few minutes, their chanting assumed the tune of the "Cops" theme song: "Bad poacher, bad poacher. Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when we come for you?"

This is the first time Ella Elementary has had summer school in about three years, said teacher Michelle Heidinger. For the last four weeks, the third-graders have increased their reading comprehension and vocabulary through environmental chants, poetry and cooperative classroom paragraphs.

They studied geography through four habitats — grasslands, oceans, rain forests and fresh water — and met lemurs and a crocodile during a visit by Wild Things. Recycling and composting were also part of the curriculum and they tackled big vocabulary worlds, like biodiversity, conservation and microorganism.

After reading "The Berenstain Bears Don't Pollute (Anymore)," in which the bear family takes action to curb pollution and wasteful ways, the students and teachers decided it would be a great way to cap the lessons.

"It ties it all in," said teacher Jen McAdam. "It's a good closure to what they've been learning."

Crystal Navar, 9, said her favorite animal is now the jaguar, because of its beautiful fur - the same fur that causes people to kill it.

"I'm asking poachers not to kill them," she said. "Wild animals need help because there is not much animals left,"

"We are helping by holding up signs and learning about them," added Araceli Huizar, 8.