Cheep, cheep!

HURLEY — First grade students at the Hurley K-12 School are in the process of hatching 24 chicks as part of a unique way to learn about their life cycles.

Teacher Kellie Pitrone started the project this year after years of doing it in another district.

“Everyone is very excited,” Pitrone said. “We hope this tradition continues here.”

The project began on April 10, and after 22 days, the class already had over five chicks hatched, with more on the way.

“My friend has a hobby farm, so he supplied the eggs,” Pitrone said. “We hatch the eggs and then once the school year is done, the chicks will go back to his farm.”

On Tuesday, the first eggs hatched, and the students were able to witness it, along with a few other people.

A web camera has been installed inside the incubator, allowing students across the school to witness the hatching process.

“The whole school seems to be buzzing about this,” Pitrone said.

The entire first grade is participating and students have even tried making predictions.

“We started learning about the life cycle of the chicken, and even candled the eggs, where you shine a flashlight behind it and see what’s beneath the shell,” Pitrone said. “Then the students were able to predict which egg would hatch first and what color the chick would be.”