Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All, is just the most recent of many hamsters that Wydown 7/8 social studies teacher Aimee Snelling has had. Snelling has kept class pets since she started teaching on the 7/8 team. From having hamsters, like Stormy, Stormageddon’s nickname, to rats, there has always been some reason behind it. Snelling commented on her experiences.

“Animals are therapy,” Snelling said, seated in her classroom, brightly decorated with hanging lanterns, posters and of course, the hamster cage. “You’re having a bad day and you just pick up an animal and it makes you feel better.”

Snelling has had many experiences that led her to this conclusion about classroom pets. Over the years, she has seen students who are getting stressed calm down by simply petting a hamster. Snelling has also seen the same effect on kids’ focus.

7/8 student Chandler Donaldson has experienced this himself. “For me, I can focus,” Donaldson said.  “And it makes [class] a bit more fun because you have the hamster.”

Former Wydown student and current CHS freshman, Mariclare Gatter, was also on team 7/8. Unlike Donaldson, she did not spend time with Stormy, but Gatter had the opportunity to spend time with one of Snelling’s past hamsters, Gina.

“We took her out frequently and she was so used to it, so, all around, focus was kept and a little extra fun was brought into the classroom,” Gatter said.

Snelling believes that having classroom pets such as hamsters help students develop caregiving skills and responsibility, as well as enrich her classroom and add life to the typical middle school day.

“It’s just like having a plant in your classroom,” Snelling said. “It adds green and it makes [you] feel better. I think anybody could benefit from it.”

Concerning school policy, Snelling said that it is not a problem to have a small pet like Stormy. She asked permission about six years ago and has been keeping the hamsters ever since.

Snelling also said, “Kids feel like it’s part of their family, like it’s their team pet. They feel connected to [the hamster].”