Rockford Middle School Visits The Raptor Center

The Raptor Center hosted Rockford Middle School recently.  The students engaged in several hands-on learning opportunities such as meeting our clinical staff and learning what it is like to do a physical exam of a raptor patient, how to use data from bald eagle patients with lead in their systems, and how DDT affected peregrine falcon populations.

Interpretive Naturalist Mike Billington talked about
bald eagle patients and lead data from TRC's clinic.

Interpretive Naturalist Dan Hnilicka and Artemis the peregrine
falcon talked about how DDT affected the falcon population.

The students found out how much weight a healthy egg
shell can support.

These visits are part of an ongoing curriculum integration program to create opportunities for schoolchildren to deepen their engagement with environmental topics.  Rockford Middle School was the first to partner with The Raptor Center.  Over the past six years we have partnered together, instructors have shared the impacts these multiple-visits have had on their students.  Students learn critical scientific investigation skills presented as part of the integration program, as well as applications for real-world problem solving within environmental frameworks.  The Raptor Center has appeared at events that Rockford hosts for parents and community members to view and experience the events taking place at the school.