GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (GRPS) – Dr. Denise Flavin has loved hands-on learning since she was a child.
“I was the tomboy growing up,” she explained. “I spent a lot of time in the forest with snakes and bugs - that hands-on that discovery, leaning into the curiosity of just life and how things worked, was very much what drew me to science.”
Dr. Flavin began her career as a science teacher before moving into administrative roles in Chicago-area schools. Today, she serves as principal of CA Frost Environmental Science Middle High School and John Ball Zoo School.
“The way the students and the teachers interact are unlike any school I've ever been a part of,” she said. “This would have been the perfect school for me when I was a middle and high schooler.”
Her dream of becoming a teacher began early in life.
“I had some wonderful teachers when I was growing up,” she recalled. “Mrs. Carroll, my second-grade teacher, was the one that probably cemented for me that that was the person that I wanted to be when I grew up.”
Since joining CA Frost and John Ball Zoo, Dr. Flavin has come to appreciate just how special the staff is.
“They understand that sometimes being in the classroom isn't the right place to be - they will take them outside and do their learning in a place where they can feel grounded,” she explained.
She believes the hands-on, nature-based learning that defines CA Frost and John Ball Zoo can be transformative for scholars.
“It’s an amazing opportunity for students to learn the way that I believe learning should happen, where they are doing it hands-on, they are doing it outside,” she said. “It touches every facet of their life, hopefully for the rest of their life.”
