Fossil fanatics at St. Pete prep school find big thrill in big bones

Science teachers bring fossils to classroom

Some measure treasure in millions of dollars while other measure in millions of years. For people who love fossils, there's always a thrill in the next big find.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Students at Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg are getting a chance to study fossils discovered by a pair of teachers.

"These ribs were all found next to each other," says science teacher Henry Sadler. They are the huge ribs of a Mammoth pulled from the bottom of the Peace River, about a 90-minute drive southeast of the school.

Sadler and fellow science teacher Rick Cochrane go there to find fossilized treasures of the ice age hidden beneath gravel on the river bottom.

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"And as we were uncovering gravel, the teeth just kind of popped up," says Cochrane, holding the jawbone of a Mastodon, a cousin of the Mammoth. Both were larger ancestors of modern elephants that once roamed Florida.

The two Farragut teachers share their fossil passion with their students. They bring gravel that contains fossils back to their school, where students sift through it, finding treasures.

"There are horse teeth, mammoth bones, megalodon teeth, and mastodon teeth," says 5th grade science student Enco Raff.

Dozens of students here have joined the Fossil Club. It's such a hit, Farragut is making it part of their Science and Technology Mind Camp. It's a kids' summer camp in June, open to all.

"In the morning, we're going to do this activity where they get to sift and explore and discover their own fossils and that's open to anybody, not just Admiral Farragut Academy students," says Cochrane.

Some students get into the fossils so much, what they learn can seem like a bonus. Science student Ayden Green Winters says a fossil isn't just for fun.

"Because it shows us how our world was formed and what was in our world," says Ayden.

The collection of fossils in the classroom seems endless. They never know what they'll find.