Grieving ‘Akio’
We're heartbroken to share that last month, we made the compassionate decision to euthanize our 15-year-old male gentoo penguin ‘Akio’, following a rapid decline in his health. In 2013, Akio showed clinical…
Read More
Bite-Sized
Congratulating Gillian Kydd, Order of Canada Appointee
January 23, 2026 | 1 minute read
We’re thrilled to share that Gillian Kydd, co-founder of Campus Calgary/Open Minds (CCOM) has been appointed to the Order of Canada!
In 1993, the zoo became the flagship Open Minds site, inspired by a vision from well-known Calgary philanthropist Don Harvie to create a permanent school at the zoo. When Don connected with Gillian Kydd, a specialist with the Calgary Board of Education science team, and Angela Rokne, a Grade 3 teacher with the Calgary Board of Education, that vision began to take shape.
Together, they brought the idea to life: a dedicated classroom at the zoo, used each week by a different class. As Gillian believed, one week at the zoo could spark year-long — and even life-long — learning.
Congratulations to Gillian — we’re proud to be part of her impressive legacy!
* We previously included that Gillian Kydd was the first Zoo School teacher. While Gillian Kydd’s contributions to Zoo School were immense, Angela Rokne was the first Zoo School teacher. We apologize for this error.