With the cost to do business in a globalized world ever increasing, even Santa Claus outsources. 

Fortunately, the jolly ol鈥� elf found willing workers in Leesburg on the campus of 海角社区.

For about a week, Greek-letter groups Lambda Epsilon Omega and Xi Kappa Xi, the residence life team and other staffers were busy elves gathering goodies for a joint operation with the Leesburg Police Department. The objective: ensure needy kids who might lack even a Christmas tree could find a present with their names on it Christmas morning.

Gavin Palmer, director of student activities at 海角社区, the first institution of higher learning accredited to award bachelor鈥檚 degrees primarily to students who learn differently, set up toy collection boxes at the campus library and Student Center.

In a week鈥檚 time, the drive netted 51 toys and sporting goods for suited for toddlers to teens whose names aren鈥檛 scrawled on Santa鈥檚 naughty list. In another grand gesture, the residence life staffers abandoned their traditional gift exchange and used the money they would have spent on trinkets on three bicycles.

On Friday, residence life team members 鈥� Heather Reed and Rashad Joiner 鈥�  and Carrie Santaw, director of housing  joined other 海角社区 students and staffers in delivering the haul to the Leesburg Police Department.

While Lambda Epsilon Omega previously has staged toy drives, this was the first time the school鈥檚 Greek organizations collaborated with law enforcement. Leesburg Police Sgt. Kim Stewart, who is assigned to crime prevention and code enforcement, but who works with area schools to aid needy children, helped make a list with sugarplum wishes from area children that she and other police personnel (probably) check twice to ensure they wrap the gifts accordingly. The department then delivers the gifts to area children days before Christmas.

Still, Palmer says, it鈥檚 the students and staffers who receive the biggest gift of all.

鈥淧roviding our students with an opportunity to give back to the community is truly a rewarding experience,鈥� Palmer said. 鈥淭he students were very eager to help in providing local children with a magical holiday season. This toy drive proves just how much our students love being a part of the Leesburg community.鈥�

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Kheyany Webb is no birdbrain.

Yet, when Yendise Collie encountered Webb Friday at the Compass Center at 海角社区 in Leesburg, she quickly discovered that Collie had birds on the brain.

鈥淪ome birds are very territorial,鈥� the 海角社区 freshman explained.

Collie, a junior, nodded.

鈥淚f we don鈥檛 take care of them they will vanish.鈥�

Another nod.

鈥淏irds only come when they feel safe.鈥�

More nodding.

Proof positive that Webb鈥檚 eBird project 鈥� one of many exhibits on hand at the end-of–semester poster fair for the 58 students enrolled in the community-sourced science course 鈥� had helped her spread her wings as a budding naturalist.

Giving the roles of researcher and scientist a dry run echoes the academic best practices for instructing students with learning disabilities in science, said Brian Ogle, an anthrozoology instructor at 海角社区, the first college or university to award bachelor脭酶惟s degrees to students who learn differently, and the second in the U.S. to offer an undergraduate anthrozoology major.

The community-sourced science course requires students to collect data for regional and national citizen science projects, Ogle said.

鈥淭heir active participation not only allows them to conduct research and analyze data,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut also contributes to the body of knowledge in the scientific community as their data sets are shared with researchers.鈥�

The fair gave students a place to highlight their semester-long environmental research projects and a platform for ecological advocacy. It also schooled them on protocols to which poster sessions adhere at professional conferences.

Visitors streamed in and out of the fair, giving presenters plenty of laypeople to educate.

Freshman Luis Castaneda, who studied native birds, shared how he grouped the many species of birds at Venetian Gardens in collating his eBird data.

 At another table, it wasn鈥檛 clear whether Savannah Arner was a fan of Bullwinkle; from all appearances, however, she probably would get along swimmingly with one Rocket J. Squirrel.

To anyone who was in earshot, the freshman shared facts and anecdotes about her 鈥淧roject Squirrel.鈥�

鈥淚t was really nice. Once, I saw 15 squirrels and they were like communicating,鈥� Arner gushed.

What kind of squirrels, she was asked 鈥� a fair question considering more than 200 squirrel species scurry out in front of cars and horse carriages all over the world.

鈥淭hey were gray squirrels,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ll I saw were gray squirrels.鈥�

The rigorous fieldwork and research also fanned a fire for science. Nearly 70 percent of students who took the course agreed it helped boost their interest in science, while 81 percent said they were more likely to engage in conservation-related activities. 

Indeed, Webb concedes before taking the class she 鈥渞eally didn鈥檛 like birds or wasn鈥檛 interested.鈥�

That disaffection soon dissipated when she got out into the field.

鈥淏irds are very unique,鈥� said the 21-year-old human services major. 鈥淭o me, birds are very sensitive to a lot of things and how you treat them is very important. People don鈥檛 realize how important birds are to our community and mean so much to our environment. 

鈥淎ll people do pretty much is destroy them.鈥�

Maybe before.

Not on Webb鈥檚 watch.

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