Pay a Friday visit to Rise Cottage Grove, and you’ll find safety goggles, dissection trays, and a room full of curious scientists. The new Science Club, launched just two months ago, has quickly become one of the most talked about activities among people served. 

The first session used a plush, anatomically correct frog—but participants immediately asked for “the real thing.” Activity Coordinator Emily Carpenter and the team expanded the curriculum, creating a hands on anatomy and biology series with new lessons nearly every week. 

Led by Direct Support Professionals Talia Solberg and Billie Hoye, who prepare lesson plans and visual aids, each lesson begins with an exercise in safety. This covers the best ways to handle tools, the kinds of protective gear to wear, and how to follow instructions closely. The class also spends time going over diagrams and familiarizing themselves with each specimen before the group dissection begins. Depending on interest and comfort level, people can assist with specific steps, observe from the table, or help identify organs as the process unfolds. 

Billie Hoye has seen confidence grow with every class. “People have gotten more comfortable and curious,” she shared. “It’s so fun to see them get more involved.” 

For many Science Club participants, the lessons connect to their interests. Sam Fulmer links what he learns to nature-themed books like Hatchet and memories from a zoo visit. Natalia Gustafson contributed her own shark facts during the dogfish shark lesson and left with new knowledge about the species. 

The club is exploring a wide variety of specimens, including owl pellets, clams, squid, a pig, a dogfish shark, a sheep brain, and cow eyes. There is so much excitement that Rise team members are also in talks to expand the club to other life enrichment sites. 

It creates community, which is one of the most meaningful results, Billie says. “It encourages curiosity, and it’s a learning process for staff too,” she said. “We even have people who don’t usually talk to each other chatting in and out of class. It’s building more community at our site.”