DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9710310285

SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN             PAGE: 23   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   64 lines

FOREST GLEN MIDDLE STUDENTS ARE JUST WILD ABOUT CATS

It's one celebration you probably missed: Cougar Spirit Week.

Two of the four sixth grade classes at Forest Glen Middle School didn't miss it.

The academic team, the Cougars, ``were gung-ho for cougar adoption,'' said Jennifer Presson, one of their teachers.

They celebrated Cougar Spirit Week by raiding their banks and by giving up some lunch coins to raise $50.

That's enough money to adopt and help raise two of the tawny brown animals for a year. It will buy some of their food, and help pay for any needed medical help.

The Forest Glen students got a bonus for their buck when one cougar gave birth to two cougars.

The $50 covers to October, 1998, and today's sixth graders are already planning to suggest to next year's sixth graders that they carry on with the adoption.

The adoption project began when Presson visited Animal World in Virginia Beach, and bought some greeting cards with cougar pictures on them.

``It also had information about the Mountain Lion Foundation,'' she said. She wrote to them and the foundation arranged for the students to adopt two cougars living in a California preserve.

Forest Glen, in general, is up to its academic neck in wildcats:

The other two sixth grade classes are Panthers; the seventh graders are Lions and Cheetahs; the eighth graders are Tigers and Jaguars; the special education students are Lynxes.

Each team has four teachers overseeing the animal welfare program.

Working with Presson are Dawn Sheffer, Helen Thompson, and Tim Pomozzi who feels he is exceptionally qualified, because, he noted, ``I used to have a cougar. It was a blue `73 - my first car.''

That Mercury model is extinct - the animals came close.

``They were on the endangered list. Now, they're a protected species in North America. The federal government claims there are 2,400. The Mountain Lion Foundation says the figure is closer to 1,000,'' said Presson, adding, ``in reading classes we researched all endangered animals as part of our ecological studies.''

Here are some of the things some of the students learned:

``They don't attack humans, unless humans mess with them.'' Chase Nelson.

``In the past 100 years there've been only 13 fatal cougar attacks. We don't know for sure - why - but probably humans tried to mess with their young, or invade their space.'' Jeff Edwards.

``Each cougar family occupies about 25 square miles - that's their territory.'' Jojo Jacob.

``They usually live by themselves, unless they have babies.'' Alisa Dunn.

``In California they're getting less space to live because so many houses are going up. In Texas, they have more space.'' Sarah Brock.

``They live in Texas, California, Idaho, and Florida. They used to live everywhere. Now, they're protected.'' Sachiko Cline.

``They're called cougars, mountain lions, pumas. In Latin - felis concolor.'' April Robedeau. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER

April Robedeau, a sixth grade student at Forest Glen Middle School,

reads the information on a mountain lion adoption certificate. Two

classes at the school raised the money to adopt wild cats through

The Mountain Lion Foundation.

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