Some of the seventh-grade students at Brock Elliott School may have been hesitant at first about dissecting a frog.

More, however, appeared thrilled just to take part in this comparative anatomy lab held in the school cafeteria last Friday, according to teacher Sheryl Peters.

This “culminating activity” allowed students to understand the abstract concept of internal body systems.

“Many began the dissection with masks on because they were afraid about throwing up,” she said. “But by the end, students had removed their masks.

“Some stated that they weren’t going to touch the frogs – by the end, most of them were fascinated and began helping their partners.”

Peters along with fellow seventh grade teachers Adrian Hernandez and Racquhel Zanders – the latter is the school’s full-time junior high science instructor – pointed out that this was the first time that Brock Elliott seventh graders got to take part in this exercise consisting of the frog’s internal body systems.

“(It’s) set up just like humans but with a few exceptions,” Peters said.

Youngsters were particularly fascinated by the undigested bugs they discovered in the stomach of their frogs ordered from Nasco.

With the older students gone for the day on their eighth-grade promotion trip to Discovery Kingdom, seventh graders had extra time to dissect frogs.

Zanders provided most of the instruction while Peters, Hernandez and parent volunteers assisted students as needed.

“The students truly enjoyed the experience,” Peters said.”We hope to make this an annual activity (for seventh graders).