A larger-than-life piece of prehistoric history made a stop in Battle Ground last week — not in a museum, but in a classroom.
Students at Battle Ground Public Schools’ Character Academics for the Marketplace Academy (CAM Academy) got an up-close look at a replica dinosaur skull named “Judith” on Thursday, April 16, as part of an educational visit aimed at bringing science to life. The skull, one of just three replicas created from original fossilized bones, was brought to the school by retired educator Mark Watrin.
Judith, a ceratopsid dinosaur Spiclypeus shipporam, was discovered in the Judith River formation of Montana.
Watrin, a former science teacher and past Battle Ground Public Schools board member, helped coordinate the visit alongside members of the Northwest Paleontological Association (NPA). The group, which holds monthly meetings at Seattle’s Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, uses the replica skulls as traveling teaching tools to connect students with Earth’s distant past.
The visit marked the first time Judith had been brought to Southwest Washington, thanks in part to NPA vice-president Vince Bruscas, who worked with Watrin to organize the appearance.
For Watrin, the event reflects decades of dedication to science education. During his career, he helped establish a full-year geology course at Battle Ground High School in 1989 — a class that continues to be offered today. He also led numerous fossil-hunting trips for students and teachers across Washington and Oregon, giving participants hands-on field experience.
In 2013, Watrin expanded those efforts by joining the DIG Field School, a program that partners teachers with paleontologists from the University of Washington for summer excavations in Montana. The program allows educators to participate directly in dinosaur digs and later conduct research using the materials they help uncover. Watrin also played a role in recruiting teachers — including several from southwest Washington — to take part.
To date, more than 300 educators from across the United States and Canada have participated in the program.
At CAM Academy, the impact of Judith’s visit was immediate. More than 400 students had the opportunity to see the skull up close, many encountering a museum-quality specimen for the first time, Watrin stated. As they entered the room, reactions ranged from wide-eyed amazement to eager curiosity.
Students peppered presenters with questions, asking how Judith was discovered, how fossils are carefully excavated, and how scientists piece together incomplete remains. Others challenged what they thought they knew about dinosaurs, using the experience to test and refine their understanding, Watrin stated.
That curiosity, Watrin states, is exactly the goal.
By engaging students directly, the program emphasizes not just what scientists know but how they know it, highlighting the importance of evidence-based thinking and reliable scientific practices.
Organizers hope the visit's success will lead to future returns, with Judith potentially becoming a regular guest in Southwest Washington classrooms.
If so, CAM Academy’s students were among the first to experience what happens when ancient history meets modern education, and curiosity takes center stage.
To learn more about Judith, visit northwestpaleo.org/meet-judith.
