Hughston Elementary in Plano ISD is home to one of the most unusual programs you’ll find at an elementary school: a campus pet lab with more than 20 animals, including an axolotl named Stormy.
The hands-on program allows nearly 80 fourth- and fifth-graders to care for reptiles, mammals and aquatic species before school each day — all under the oversight of Plano ISD’s Holifield Science Learning Center.
Students arrive at 7 a.m. to feed animals, clean habitats, monitor water temperatures and make sure every creature is healthy and accounted for…