WARNING: Images some people may find graphic
A Regina elementary school teacher is putting out a call to local hunters for harvested deer hearts.
Greg Korpan, a Grade 7 and 8 teacher at Grant Road School, is on the hunt for 100 of the frozen organs to use in a class dissection—a project he’s done for the past four years.
“I brought in a heart from a deer that I had harvested, and our students had spent the time learning about cells and the body systems and structures,” said Korpan, who’s also an avid hunter. “From there it grew into me collecting 70 hearts last year, and this year I’m looking for as many as I can.”
In December, Korpan plans to teach his class about the circulatory system. From there, he will show his students a how-to video on dissection, before they get their hands dirty in the science lab.
“We start by examining the outer part of the heart. From there, we slowly and very carefully cut into it and then look at the different chambers and valves,” Korpan said. “It’s giving them an actual hands-on experience where they can see the parts to a heart.
“Students are always wearing gloves, they’re wearing masks, eye protection, lab coats, so they have zero physical contact with the actual heart.”
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The science project serves a dual purpose, according to Korpan. Dissecting deer hearts gives the teacher an opportunity to speak about wildlife conservation in Saskatchewan.
“I believe in the role that hunters play in conservation and protecting wildlife and I like to give students an opportunity to learn about a passion of mine,” Korpan said. “There’s a lot more to hunting than just harvesting an animal. There’s a respect for nature, there’s a balance for nature.”
Dissections aren’t part of the education curriculum until high school. According to Korpan, students start dissecting frogs, before progressing to fetal pig dissections in Grade 12.
Korpan rents out Campbell Collegiate‘s science lab for the dissections, introducing students to their future high school and familiarizing them with general lab rules.
“I think the transition from Grade 8 to Grade 9 is huge. It can be very challenging for a lot of students,” Korpan said. “Taking little steps to help that transition and get comfortable with a larger building with a lot more students is very valuable.”
Korpan collects the deer hearts in plastic bags and keeps them in his freezer at home. So far, he said he’s received about 20 donated hearts.
Closer to the dissection date in January, he will slowly thaw the hearts in his fridge.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure students stay safe and I’m not using (hearts) that have sat in a box of a truck for a few days,” said Korpan, adding hunters should immediately freeze the harvested hearts if they plan to donate them.
Korpan said students have the option to opt out of the dissection.
He said he wants to grow the project, and he plans to share a portion of his collected hearts with other elementary school teachers in the city.
“As soon as I have the opportunity to explain the purpose and the goal and what I hope my students can take away from it, the majority of people are very on board with it.”
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