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4th-graders have hearts set on naming state amphibian
4th-graders taking second shot at naming a state amphibian
DAVID SALEH RAUF
, Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau |
January 16, 2009
AUSTIN — The fourth-graders at Danbury Elementary School just won’t give up.
In 2007, about 50 of them lobbied Rep. Dennis Bonnen to carry legislation designating the Texas blind salamander as the state’s official amphibian. Gov. Rick Perry vetoed it, saying the blind salamander wasn’t representative enough: It is found only in Hays County.
“Our students left school and thought it was passed, not thinking the governor would veto,” said Ace Filipp, a librarian for the Danbury Independent School District. “They were disappointed. A lot of them said they were going to write letters.”
But instead of writing letters to Perry, a new crop of fourth-graders decided to give the law-making process another shot.
This time, they are proposing the Texas toad, and Bonnen, R-Angleton, has again joined their crusade with a House resolution to declare it the official state amphibian.
“I assured them that if they wanted to go through the process again I would help them,” Bonnen said.
After a school election — in which students campaigned with political posters — the Texas toad emerged as the victor, defeating four other amphibians: the barred tiger salamander, Strecker’s chorus frog, cliff chirping frog and the Houston toad.
The Texas toad is roughly 3 inches long with dark spots on its back and is heralded in the resolution as having the “hardy determination that Texans are known for.”
“Possessing a Buddha-like visage, this notable creature is a common sight across much of Texas, and its indomitable spirit and unique relationship with the state for which it was named make it a most appropriate symbol of the Lone Star State,” the resolution reads.
“This time we forewarned the students that a veto was a possibility,” Filipp said.