Local girl wins Australia Zoo trip
Jordan Baugh's film-making skills have yet to take her to Hollywood, but the 7-year-old's camera and acting work has her traveling across the globe later this month to the Australia Zoo.

Jordan won a trip to the “Home of the Crocodile Hunter,” the late Steve Irwin, and a chance to attend Bindi Irwin's 10th birthday party July 24 thanks to a two-minute video she produced and starred in that explained why a trip to the zoo would make her dreams come true. After being one of the top vote getters in an online contest posted on the zoo's Web site, Jordan's video was deemed the winner by Bindi and her mother, Terri Irwin. A member of the zoo's Web team notified Jordan of the win through a telephone call to the Baugh house July 3.

“She was stunned. She didn't know what to say, and then finally she started screaming,” said Ellen Baugh, Jordan's mother.

Jordan, Ellen, her brother Jacob and one of Ellen's friends leave July 20 on an all-expenses paid trip to Australia, where they will stay in Beerwah, Queensland, the city where the zoo is located. Jordan will also receive a $1,000 stipend to spend at the zoo as part of her prize.

Though it will be the Baughs' first visit to the land Down Under, it won't be their initial experience with the Australia Zoo. As part of her work as a teacher at the Ohio Virtual Academy, Ellen formed a relationship with the zoo last year during “Steve Irwin Week” because she runs a wildlife conservation club for the school.

As part of the club, Ellen implemented a program called “Flat Chat Steve,” which mimicked the popular Flat Stanley Project that facilitates letter writing between children from different areas. Jordan sent her Flat Chat Steve to the Australia Zoo, where it was photographed near many of the zoo's animals and then returned to her.

Jordan later used the character as inspiration for her contest video. The film's theme revolved around Jordan trying to help Flat Chat Steve return to the Australia Zoo to be with his animal friends. The zoo employee told the Baughs that Bindi's favorite part of the film was when Jordan climbed into a box at a local UPS Store and asked to be mailed to the zoo. Jordan also filmed scenes for her video at The Toledo Zoo, Ellen said.

For Ellen, the trip represents a chance to continue bonding with her daughter through their shared love of conservation, she said.

“I'm excited, because with this club that I run, it allows me to include Jordan in all these awesome adventures,” Ellen said, noting she and Jordan traveled to the Columbus Zoo in May to work with famed zookeeper Jack Hanna.