Columbus Zoo debuts new education building with help from donor

The preschoolers gathered on the green leaf-print carpet and could hardly sit still. Hunched over a plastic tote full of water, the fidgeting children were ready to witness a science experiment.

Would the ping-pong ball sink or float? What about the feather? The plastic animals? The metal bell?

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Clunk.

"Oh no, it sinked," one child lamented as an object fell to the bottom.

But Carrie Hauck, who was leading the lesson on buoyancy, made it clear that nothing went wrong. The senior educator was teaching the Little Explorers Club about the characteristics that allow waterfowl such as ducks, geese and swans to float on water, such as hollow bones and air sacs inside their bodies.

Now educators have an inviting, spacious place to make lessons like Thursday's happen, in the new conservation education building at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

The nearly 8,000-square-foot, single-story building, located just outside the zoo's main entrance, officially debuted this month. It was made possible by donor Suzie Edwards, for whom it is named. Construction started in late 2019.

"At the zoo, education is so important to who we are and what we do, and now it's right here front-and-center," said Danielle Ross, the zoo's vice president of conservation, education and engagement. "The things we stand for — education, sustainability, and protecting the environment — really are encapsulated in this building."

Rooftop solar panels will offset about 90% of the building's energy, the zoo says.

Edwards is part of a family of longtime zoo supporters, though this is her first gift specifically in her name. Edwards and the zoo declined to specify how much the building cost, at Edwards' request, but she is listed as a "lead donor" of at least $2.5 million on a fundraising campaign's website.

When children enter the building, they're greeted by bright green walls featuring silhouettes of giraffes, gazelles, lions and flamingos, transporting them to an African watering hole. A message from Swedish teen environmental activist Greta Thunberg, "You are never too small to make a difference," is emblazoned on a wall among a mural of leaves and ladybugs.

Edwards, an 83-year-old Upper Arlington resident, said she hopes the space will motivate children to care about animals and their habitats — and maybe even inspire this generation's Jack Hanna, the zoo's beloved director emeritus and world-famous conservationist.

She told The Dispatch she's a "kid in an old body."

"Children are such little sponges, so interested in everything they see and hear, and that's a small window in our lives where we are that totally impressionable. I thought, 'That's where I want to make a difference,'" Edwards said of her donation. "It's very hard to go to the Columbus Zoo and not see a smile on every child's face. I think to be inspired and enchanted by what you see is a very special thing."

On Thursday, classroom decorations and activities set the mood for the waterfowl lesson. A pink flamingo-printed blanket covered a table full of stuffed birds, duck-themed books and educational flashcards. Children painted a scene of a riverfront using watercolors and scooped toy fish out of a bin using a net with a pelican head fastened on top.

The children capped the day with a walk through the zoo, to meet Dalmatian pelicans, the largest member of the pelican family.

The new building is as attractive as it is functional, Ross said.

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It's equipped with a calming room for children with sensory issues, featuring plush beanbag chairs and a bubble wall, and an assistive listening system for the hard of hearing.

In addition to hosting educational programs for children, the facility is equipped to host other events, from large conferences to birthday parties, with its retractable walls that make classroom sizes adjustable.

That flexibility has also provided enough space for students to spread out during the COVID-19 pandemic, something that would've been very difficult in the zoo's former education building, Ross said. That facility, inside the zoo, will now be used as overflow space.

Mayme Norman, the zoo's vice president of philanthropy, said the new space is "transformational," and gifts like Edwards' don't happen every day.

Her donation is one of the most significant contributions to date to the zoo's "Connecting People and Wildlife" campaign. Since 2017, the ongoing fundraising effort, the zoo's largest in its history, has aimed to collect $38 million through 2025. As of last week, it had already met 93% of that goal. Anyone can make a donation of any amount to the cause.

Education is near to Edwards' heart, she said. She studied the subject at Ohio State University and taught third grade for a year, about 60 years ago, at Wickliffe Elementary School in Upper Arlington. Then her family moved around for a bit to support her husband, Peter H. Edwards Sr., and his budding career in apartment construction, which blossomed into Columbus-based Edwards Companies.

The couple returned to Upper Arlington and has lived there since 1963.

"We're builders, and we like to build things that are good," Edwards said. "In my case, I'm trying to build happier families in central Ohio, so they can come and enjoy our splendid zoo."

To learn more about the zoo's educational programs or sign up, visit columbuszoo.org.

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@AlissaWidman