November 8, 2018
When an alarming amount of birds were mistakenly flying into the windows at MPA, it did not take long for community members to band together and find a solution. MPA parent Michelle Wessely, who has been working extensively on the gardens and outdoor spaces on campus, noticed a sad amount of birds, including a hummingbird, that had died from flying into the school’s windows. She brought the issue up to Middle School science teacher Ms. Nagle, who then recruited her sixth graders to save the birds.
The idea for the bird-shaped window clings was inspired by assistant librarian and bird enthusiast Ms. Petrich, who hand-cut bird outlines for the windows of the MPA Library in order for real birds to notice that the windows were there and steer clear. Inspired by her initiative, Ms. Nagle’s class teamed up with Michelle and Ms. Petrich to bring more of these bird decals to campus.
The class learned of the CriCut machine and window cling paper in the Makerspace and immediately knew that it was the perfect place with the perfect tools to save the birds. The students picked out images of various birds native to Minnesota, converted the images to outlines, and printed the outlines on the Cricut machine, which is a tool used to print on specialty materials. Students then cut out the birds, making their way around the exterior of the school to place them on windows. MPA now is a safer place for birds, and proudly displays visual representations of the species we are delighted to be helping–including the bird that inspired it all–the hummingbird.
