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Neighbors | Zack Shively.During the large assembly, Marrisa Dubina took a small number of volunteers up to pet the animals she brought in. During the small assembly, she allowed each student to pet the animals. Pictured, Dubina placed the bearded dragon on a student's head.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Dubina and the PTA had the students form a line to pet Dubina's tortoise, bearded dragon and olive python at the end of the larger assembly.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Austintown Elementary School invited Marissa Dubina to the school to reward classes for donating during their Falcon Outreach program. The top three classes that donated the most from each grade level got to go to Dubina's large assembly, and the classroom that donated the most overall got their own special assembly.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The PTA likes to bring in speakers that will entertain the students while still having an educational program. Pictured, Marissa Dubina placed a Texas Rat Snake on a student's shoulders.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Marissa Dubina, owner of Realm of the Reptile, came to Austintown Elementary School to show students a number of reptiles, including the olive python pictured. She also educated the students on the animals during the event.
By ZACK SHIVELY
Ten classrooms at Austintown Elementary School received a special assembly from Realm of the Reptile on Dec. 1.
The school’s PTA awarded the classrooms with the assembly for raising the most amount of money during the Falcon Outreach program. The top three classes of each grade, kindergarten through second grade, got an assembly, and the classroom that raised the most total money overall, Mrs. Cramer’s first-grade class, received an assembly by themselves.
The PTA offers the Falcon Outreach program every year. The program raised $6,250 overall this year, which went toward food vouchers. Those vouchers then went to families in need throughout the Austintown community during the Thanksgiving break.
“We always look to bring in things for the kids that is fun and educational,“ Bethany Martinez, the president of the AES PTA, said.
Marissa Dubina, owner of Realm of the Reptile, brought numerous reptiles to show to the students. For the large assembly, she brought the animals out and displayed them, letting a couple volunteers come to touch a few of the animals. All of the students in the smaller assembly got a chance to touch most of the animals Dubina brought out.
Dubina brought out an eastern box turtle, a beaded dragon, a Russian legless lizard, a Texas rat snake, a dab lizard, a milk snake, a blue-tongued skink, a tortoise and an olive python. She gave information on each reptile. For example, she explained that the skink has a blue tongue to ward off predators.
Many of the students enjoyed the presentation. Dubina received audible sounds of excitement and surprise every time she revealed a different reptile. Some students even screamed when she brought out some animals, such as the snakes.
After her presentation, she allowed the students to walk up and pet the bearded dragon, olive python and tortoise. Martinez and other members of the PTA helped hold the animals while the students came up.
Dubina runs Realm of the Reptile by herself. She performs at schools, parties, clubs and churches. The school has brought her in to present the last three school years. Recently, she was on the Discovery Channel.
She began doing presentations at the age of twelve. She had a passion for animals at a young age, but with her brother’s allergies, she could only have reptiles, which began her love of reptiles. She continued to learn and present. She owns all of the animals that she brought to the school.