Every Sunday I go to the Staten Island Zoo. I don't go as a visitor, but rather as a volunteer. I volunteer with my sister and friends from 9: 30 a.m. to 1: 30 p.m.

It all started when my friend spotted a want ad in the newspaper. At the time, we really wanted to volunteer somewhere, since we felt that volunteering was very important. The ad was for the Staten Island Zoo. They wanted volunteers over the age of 16, so we were lucky. We decided to sign up. Working with animals was our first choice.

At the meeting with the Head of Volunteers, we found that we needed experience to work with animals. So instead, we decided to volunteer in the Dinosaurs Alive program. Maybe in the future we can work with the animals. What we signed up for sounded interesting and we had to start somewhere.

The Dinosaurs Alive program consists of two sections. One is a large room filled with life-like dinosaurs that move slightly, and the second is a hands-on activity center. This is where we spend most of our time. We help kids with activities, like making a large dinosaur puzzle. We also make sure the place is clean and no one breaks the rules, so that no one gets hurt. Occasionally, we work in the room filled with synthetic dinosaurs. There we make sure everything is under control and answer questions that parents and children ask.

I don't just volunteer because it looks good. I volunteer because it is good experience and I learn a lot from it. I learn how to work with kids and I learn responsibilities and how to lay down the rules. It also gives me an idea of what I want to be in the future. fl