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School’s Bird Sanctuary Offers Respite from Stress
By Thomas Rebar
Staff Writer
The best kept secret at Woodlynde School is a nice, serene area located just outside Trailer One.
Thanks to the efforts of two teachers, the school now has a bird sanctuary, which can be used as a place to forget about the stress that frequently runs throughout the school.
“It is a naturally calming place. Schools can be chaotic sometimes, and it is nice to have a place to escape the noise, and be surrounded by nature,” according to History teacher Mr. Laughead.
Mr. Laughead says that he uses the bird sanctuary every day before morning advisory for “reflection, meditation, and just to relieve stress.”
“YOU CAN JUST BE AT PEACE”
Sophomore Victor Vernick enjoys the bird sanctuary, as well. “You can use it to let out stress, be somewhere quiet, where you can think about school deadlines, and just be at peace.”
The bird sanctuary was a project several years in the making.
In 2016, English teacher “Mr. Koch brought [a] bird bath and statues to that area,” according to Mr. Laughead. The statue is of St. Frances. He is the saint that ecologists would pray to, because of St. Frances’ love of nature and animals, according to Catholic.org.
What gave Mr. Koch the idea to start the bird sanctuary?
He says, “When the school started putting money into the landscaping, I noticed that we were getting a variety of birds on top of the school. My dad was an avid birdwatcher, and I got a few feeders, and that is what started it. I moved the bird feeders from the porch [where they were] to the trees. I then brought the birdbaths and the statues over time, with improvements coming during spring break.”
6-10 TYPES OF BIRDS
There are plenty of birds that frequent the sanctuary, and if you are lucky, you might see a few of them. Don’t be surprised if, on your way into the trailers for class, you see a bold colored Finch, then when you come back out, a Cardinal is sitting where the Finch was.
Mr. Koch said six to ten different types of birds tend to frequent the sanctuary. “Cardinals, Finches, a variety of northeastern birds, Grackles, Morning Doves, and potential Hummingbirds as a rarity, and possibly Scarlet Tanagers.”
Mr. Laughead and Mr. Koch are the two in charge of the bird sanctuary.
SHAKIRA, THE FISH
They are also in charge of a fish named Shakira (commonly referred to as Shaq). Shaq came to be when Mr. Laughead asked Mrs. Anderson, Assistant Director of Admissions, if he should get a class pet.
Mrs. Anderson approved the idea, and right before school started, Shaq was purchased. Shakira was actually an impulse buy.
Mrs. Anderson approved the idea, and right before school started, Shaq was purchased. Shakira was actually an impulse buy.
Mr. Koch’s first reaction was, “I am not taking care of that thing.”
The trailers have a reputation for being lonely, because they are outside of the school building. When asked if having the bird sanctuary will elevate the status of the trailers, Mr. Koch said, “The trailers, by themselves on a bare landscape, would be magnificent, but the sounds of the birds outside compliments the happiness inside.”
So, the next time you go out to the trailers, feel free to visit the bird sanctuary. It is a small area, but an area that could not have a stronger connection to nature at Woodlynde.
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Woodlynde School is a private, co-ed college prep day school located in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that serves intelligent, talented students with learning differences in grades K - 12. Woodlynde provides a comprehensive, evidence-based Kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school program in a challenging yet nurturing environment for students with average to above average cognitive abilities (IQ) who have language- or math-based learning differences (such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia or Dyscalculia), Executive Function Challenges, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Auditory Processing Disorder. Even for those students without a diagnosed learning disability (LD), Woodlynde offers expert and caring teachers in small classroom settings that support academic success. Woodlynde School also offers a post-graduate (PG) program in partnership with Rosemont College as well as a regional Summer Camp for students who learn differently.
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