A Primary Prance

As visited Middletown High School Tuesday to cast their Presidential Primary vote, they were met with an uncommon sight — three vocational-agricultural students taking a llama and miniature pony out for a walk. 

It's a remarkable sight for city dwellers but the students say they care for a host of animals, including sheep and hogs, in the program that's been running since 1956. Students spend two class periods a day in the center learning about natural resources, agriculture mechanics, plant and animal sciences.

Students from 13 surrounding municipalities can enroll in the vo-ag program: Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Hampton, Essex, Guilford, Haddam, Killingworth, Madison, Middlefield, Middletown, Portland, Old Saybrook, Rocky Hill and Westbrook.

That day, three sophomores: Bailey Basiel, 15, Zoe Page, 16, and Jaimie Simmons, 15, led a black female llama and the miniature Shetland pony Magic along the sidewalk, injecting bit of levity into a day centered on academics and politics.