By Liz Riter

Shalaine, a Cormo cross ewe, and Jeanne, a Suffolk cross ewe, came to the school in a stock trailer to help teach the 5th grade and 6th grade students about sheep, different kinds of wool, and biological control of weeds. The class watched as Garrett Harrington, sheep shearer, gave the sheep 'a haircut' for summer. Garrett answered the student's questions about shearing and grading wool. After the wool was sheared and bagged, some of the raw wool was taken inside so the students could learn how to clean and wash it. The 6th Grade students went back to their classroom. Clean wool, donated by Running Wild Yarn and Becky McEuen, was put into jars with Koolaid to dye it bright colors. 5th grade teacher and aide, Mrs. Zellers and Mrs. Barbero, were very helpful with this activity. Liz Riter, Powder River Conservation District (PRCD), and Corey Swenson, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and Elizabeth Emeline, American Bird Conservancy (ABC) helped the students wash and dye their wool. The students were able to watch the dye move from the water into their wool. Later they took the dyed wool and felt it into beads. Liz informed the students about different aspects of sheep, and how they can be used for managing weeds. Sheep enjoy eating weeds, so whether they are a nuisance weed, like Kochia and other weeds in corrals, or a noxious weed, like Leafy Spurge, the sheep will consume them. This way the weeds don't need to be sprayed with chemicals.

5th Grade students are Lucas Capp, Brooke Escott, Brock Gali, Alexis Gotfredson, Max Grant, Emelyn Harper, Whitney Hartman, Colton Jones, Bonita Kinzer, Madisyn Kramme, Kanin Krantz, Landyn Merwin, Grayson Murdoch, Addison Randall, Dylan Roberts, Rachel Rosencranz, Danica Schroeder, Jordyn Schroeder, Hunter Stanton, Braydn Stoddard-Terrill, Emma Strackbein, Kade VerWolf, and Tenley Yonkee.