Alva Review-Courier -

ELGIN, Okla. (AP) — Tarantulas have taken refuge in Elgin Middle School.

Yes, those often large, hairy-legged spiders that are straight out of the nightmare of any self-respecting arachnophobe are now calling the school "home."

Fear not, however, as these spiders have instead drawn the fascination of much of the school over the last two academic years since the first one, affectionately named "Mary Todd" after the former first lady, first arrived in the classroom.

"I had a parent whose adult son moved out and left behind his tarantula and she asked if I wanted it," Melissa Evon, a seventh grade geography teacher, said to The Lawton Constitution. "I figured I could do something with a geography lesson, so why not?"

Mary Todd is a Chilean Rose Hair, native to South America. Since she arrived in the classroom back in September 2017, she's become a popular new addition. Even students who are deftly afraid of spiders have taken an interest in her, even as Evon said she has "the energy of a pet rock."

"The kids have really taken to her," she said. "They'd feed her crickets and watch her eat and they're fascinated by it."

Mary Todd would not be the last arachnid to make its home in the school. When preparation began for Winter Wishes, the middle school's gift giveaway, later that year, a teacher and student who were really fond of Mary Todd were also given their own tarantulas to nurture and raise. One went home with the student and the other stayed in the classroom.

"That was a really cool thing for us," Evon said.

Fellow teacher Anita West saw the student interest in Mary Todd and conceived a curriculum opportunity surrounding the spiders. She turned to the education crowdfunding site, Donors Choose, with a campaign, "Hairy Legs and Shiney Hineys — a Tarantula Experiment." West asked for $715 to purchase additional tarantulas, habitats, feeders and the means to breed a food source.

"Not only is this a learning experience, it is also a great conversation starter between teachers and students and helps build relationships," West said. "By breeding our own food source, we will be learning about responsibility and resourcefulness."

The pitch was an admitted longshot, until an anonymous donor funded every campaign, including "Shiney Hineys." The teachers used the money to purchase additional spiders for the classroom, along with the necessary habitat materials. But that was still not the end of the spider collection.

In doing research for her soon-to-be new eight-legged residents, Evon joined a Facebook group to learn more information. As part of a promotion, the group owner offered a newborn tarantula to give away. Evon won. The new Brazillian black spider was soon delivered to the school

Originally, each new spider — barely the size of a nickel, sits in small clear box habitats, filled with dirt and vegetation, on Evon's desk. Each of the five spiders on her desk are different species, including a blue-footed baboon, a Chilean red, a chaco gold and a green bottle blue. There are now nine breeds of tarantulas across 15 spiders in Elgin Middle School. Those spiders have since grown in size and appetite in the more than a year they have lived in the classroom.

"My fascination comes from how they're each so different," Evon said. "People think spiders and tarantulas as if they're all the same. But they're all very different from each other."

That many spiders requires a fairly substantial amount of food. Evon first began feeding them crickets, but some of the spiders have become particular about what they eat. So she turned to breeding Dubai roaches, which have become the favorite food source of many of the spiders. But that, in turn, created its own issues. Despite being roaches, they require a clean colony and habitat, prompting Evon to undertake yet another operation.

"We have to keep their habitat clean, so we had to look into these springtails, which clean the roach habitat," Evon said. "We have to do all of this just to keep the spiders happy. Some other teachers think I'm crazy."

Despite the reservation from some, Evon and West have pushed forward with their arachnid operation. They offer so many opportunities for learning across multiple disciplines, including geography, science and math. West's proposal included the idea of selling some of the roaches bred to other teachers within the school to feed lizards and other reptiles. Students will calculate how many roaches need to be bred to sustain the tarantulas and reptiles and how much money will need to be charged per roach in order to self-fund the operation.

Evon has used the tarantulas as a jumping off point for learning more about their habitats and the countries from which they were originally derived. But she said, often the most pleasure comes from just watching the tarantulas move — as little as they move. She hasn't picked any of them up, including Mary Todd, and doesn't plan on doing so anytime soon, if at all.

"When they move around and you watch them, it's kind of peaceful," she said. "I never thought I'd be attached to spiders. I might never hold one, and I'm fine with that. But it's fun with the kids to talk about where they came from and the countries all over the world."

"I never thought I'd be attached to spiders. I might never hold one, and I'm fine with that."

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Information from: The Lawton Constitution, http://www.swoknews.com