At Vina High School, a person can find all the usual activities going on. Last week, however, 4^th-6^th grade students has some unusual visitors.

In Jamie Payne’s science classes, 4^th-6^th grade students got the chance to witness an event some people will never see in their lifetimes: a brood of chickens hatching.

“I liked watching them hatch, and I was excited to come in each day to see how many new chicks we had,” said 6^th grader Cayden Lawler. “I also liked listening to them peep in the classroom.”

Nine Buff Orpington chicks spent their first several days on this earth at the Vina school, first in an incubator in the science lab and then in an observation tank in the classroom.

“We got to watch them as they hatched,” Payne said. “I was like a little kid myself … and the kids have loved it. It made it real.”

School nurse Karen Blevins brought the eggs in, from her own chickens, for students to observe the hatching.

“They were fun to watch. I liked watching them eat and interact with each other,” said 5^th grader Madelyn Humphres. “I have never seen chicks eat before we had these.”

Payne said she was thankful to Blevins for helping make such a great opportunity a reality for the students.

“We’re all about hands-on experiences with our science classes,” Payne said.