Ms. Terri's Best Day Ever!

Beloved science teacher, Terri Sanislo, shares about the sunny day when a wild Great Blue Heron decided to visit her classroom.

"Imagine my surprise when I turned around from my desk and we had a Great Blue Heron on the side of our science pond!  It must have just fledged from the church rookery across the expressway recently and was hunting for moles and gophers on the back lawn. When it smelled our indoor pond and the Koi through the open door, it probably thought we were a drive-up!  It was on our pond for 45 minutes and at our campus for almost three hours. It didn’t get any of our fish and the children agreed that to feed it would not teach it to hunt for itself. Later in the year, it will acquire the black and white on the head with the crest.  If a male, it will get a ‘waterfall’ of white feathers from its breast. Best day EVER!"

– Terri Sanislo

Ms. Terri was one of the first two pioneering women to graduate from West Valley College in the Park Management program. After graduation, she came to Pinewood where she created and implemented the Lower Campus science curriculum, focusing on the life sciences and California natural history with practical applications of earth and physical science. After teaching for twenty-three years, Ms. Terri pursued a career as an interpreter for Santa Clara County Parks at the New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum. She co-led and taught the Gold Rush history programs as related to the mercury mining in that area. Ms. Terri also helped develop interpretive programs about arthropods at Santa Teresa County Park. For both of these parks, Terri oversaw all natural history events. After nine years working for the park system, Ms. Terri retired but was anxious to return to the classroom where she could teach her passion and work with children.

Terri Sanislo | Science (K-2)

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