Cedar Springs — There was a moment of panic when Caramel, a 2-foot ball python belonging to sophomore Danica Potratz, coiled itself so tightly among the gears of an office chair at Cedar Springs High School that it seemed the snake might just take up permanent residence there.
Danica had Caramel in tow to introduce her to SNN, and to talk about how she and fellow snake owner Emilee Reisig, a senior, have been bringing their snakes to school in an effort to curb negative perceptions of the creatures. But just as the interview was starting, Caramel, apparently no fan of the spotlight, beelined for her cushiony hiding spot.
“She’s getting stuck!” said Danica, staying calm but with a look of worry creeping onto her face as she tried to coax the snake out.
It was a good 15 minutes before she was finally able to gently pull Caramel free, at which point the clearly stressed-out snake made a bit of a mess on the hallway floor.
Though the incident felt calamitous in the moment, it helped illustrate a point that Danica and Emilee have been trying to make — namely, that snakes like Caramel are often more afraid of you than you are of them.
“A lot of people are scared of snakes for no reason,” Danica said, tenderly cradling the now-free Caramel. “They think they’re slimy and mean and scary and stuff, when most of them aren’t. Like, Caramel is so sweet.”
Learning About Snake Behavior
Danica and Emilee have brought their pet pythons to school several times this year, introducing the snakes to their fellow students, and letting classmates hold and pet them.
Emilee’s snake, Coconut, was not present during the visit because she was shedding skin at the time. But Emilee brought along a handy informational poster she drew up to educate her peers — and teachers — about snakes.
“I really like researching all the facts about them, so I made this,” Emilee said as she gestured to her poster, which includes information about lifespan, behavior, habitat, eating habits and more.
The information has been helpful, said teacher Jennifer Swift, whose Photography class has become a hub for the visits.
“Emilee is sharing these fun facts, and so much knowledge about snakes,” Swift said, adding that the info helped her overcome some personal fears of the creatures. “Knowing that the tongue is a way of being curious, like sniffing. That’s really helpful information, because it feels scary.”
Emilee drew and designed the informational poster herself, on her own time. She’s a wealth of information on the subject of snakes.
“I think they’re just really fascinating in their behavior,” Emilee said. “Like the way that they hunt — ball pythons are ambush predators. … At night, they’ll sit in a spot and wait for a rat to walk by in the wild. I think that’s so cool.”
Whenever she brings Coconut to school, she advises students not to touch her head — “snakes are head-shy,” she explained — and to hold her gently, with weight distributed evenly, rather than gripping her by the tail.
More Visits in Store
Danica and Emilee said reactions have been pretty positive. There were some initial nerves and jitters among classmates, but by the end of the first visit, most of them had warmed to the snakes, and were eager to learn more about them.
The students who are truly uncomfortable being around snakes aren’t forced to interact with them, and Swift said that both Danica and Emilee are very considerate when it comes to respecting those students’ boundaries.
More visits are surely in store, as Caramel and Coconut have become popular guests in the Photography class, and students have snapped many great photos of them, Swift said.
‘A lot of people are scared of snakes for no reason. They think they’re slimy and mean and scary and stuff, when most of them aren’t.’
— Cedar Springs sophomore Danica Potratz
Emilee is interested in broadening her work to include PR campaigns for other reptiles, as she also has a leopard gecko at home that she’d love to bring into school.
“For me, it’s also an educational thing. I just like to rant about all the cool facts,” she said.
Despite Caramel’s run-in with the chair, Danica said she’s keen to bring her python back.
“I just want people to like snakes. They’re just misunderstood most of the time.”
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