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Hawk Mountain launches Raptor Challenge
Participating Teachers CLICK HERE
Interested in volunteering as an Educator? Email Denise Peters by clicking here.
In autumn 2007, Hawk Mountain launched Raptor Challenge, a new educational outreach program designed to help teachers boost standardized test scores while introducing children to the wonders of birds of prey--and ensuring each child in an entire district has the opportunity to experience learning at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
The program follows two years of careful review, including one year of pilot studies in three counties, serving children in the Bethlehem, Reading, Tamaqua and Mahanoy City Area School Districts. The results revealed strong support and enthusiasm from teachers and administrators to bring raptors into the classroom and to get children outdoors, all of which promises to boost math and literacy scores. As an added bonus, the program simultaneously provides inner-city children the opportunity—possibly for the first time ever—to enjoy an outstanding, outdoor nature experience...at Hawk Mountain.
In autumn 2007, Hawk Mountain presented Raptor Challenge to every third grader in each of the participating school districts, and provided all services at absolutely no cost to the school. All students in the program take part in a follow-up field trip to Hawk Mountain the following spring to complete the learning experience.
Hawk Mountain believes strongly that it is critical children experience the outdoors, and to show this belief, the Sanctuary raises funds to cover transportation costs to and from the Sanctuary.
Now we are focused on expanding on our current success, and two years later we intend to reach the same children again at the fifth grade level with a more advanced program that builds on their first experience. The ultimate goal is to use this program as another Hawk Mountain model that we export to other ideal places with access to both bird migration and has a local school interesting in using migration and raptors as a catalyst for learning
What sets Raptor Challenge apart from other environmental education programs is that learning continues when Hawk Mountain educators leave the classroom and the children leave Hawk Mountain. As part of Raptor Challenge, Hawk Mountain educators train the teachers to present follow-up lessons, including in-class wildlife monitoring programs that allow classrooms to monitor the movement of satellite-tagged birds of prey.
With help from our local legislators, Hawk Mountain has secured state funding to help cover the bulk of full program costs, as well as leadership support from the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund. And just recently, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania approved Hawk Mountain for participation in its Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. We believe that the tax incentives will boost future support from regional corporations, beginning in 2008.
To learn more about providing financial support for Raptor Challenge, please contact Celest Voyer, director of development and communications at voyer@hawkmountain.org or 610-756-6000 x222.
To learn more about providing volunteer support as a classroom assistant or educator, please contact Educator Denise Peters at peters@hawkmountain.org or 610-756-6000 x226.
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