BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) – Bay District Schools has acquired a life-sized replica of a juvenile female humpback whale to serve as an interactive teaching tool for students K-12.

The inflatable model, named Jolene, measures 7 feet by 26 feet by 43 feet and features 3D organs. Bay District Schools also had a customized bone structure built under one of her fins to allow students to study whale anatomy up close.

This week, teachers got a sneak peek of Jolene ahead of her rollout to students.

“Really what today is about is talking to the teachers about how to use her to the greatest benefit and really getting the teachers excited about teaching with her as the students are about interacting with her,” said Amanda Walker, BDS Elementary Staff Science Training Specialist.

Jacob Graham, a 7th-grade teacher at Tyndall Academy, said today’s professional learning day taught him new things.

“I didn’t know how they fed, so like the trapping animals with the air bubbles in the blow hole and how they eat them up like a comb,” Graham said.

James English, a 6th-grade teacher at Tyndall Academy, said the tool opens up new possibilities for classroom instruction.

“The biggest thing that I learned here today to apply to my classroom is all the different accesses to the different technologies, and Jolene, the big whale, was a lot of fun,” English said.

School officials said Jolene is not intended to replace traditional instruction but to supplement it.

Walker said the experience is designed to create lasting educational impact for students to go home and remember what they learned.

“If we can bring really memorable experiences to our students, and give them an opportunity to see something of this scale up close, it creates a lasting moment for them, and that’s durable learning,” Walker said.

Walker added that the exhibit also carries an environmental message.

“We also believe that things like this have the opportunity to inspire students to care for their own environment,” she said.

Jolene was funded through an $18,000 grant awarded to Bay District Schools by the St. Joe Community Foundation. The inflatable teaching tool will rotate across schools in the district and will be used to support biology, environmental science, reading, and STEM education.

Article Source: https://www.wjhg.com/2026/08/04/meet-jolene-bay-district-schools-new-immersive-whale-learning-experience/