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Austintown teacher follows passion with Falcons to Bluebirds project
AUSTINTOWN
An Austintown teacher’s passion is giving students the opportunity to be a part of outdoor, hands-on learning.
Stacey Pavlik, biology and zoology teacher, obtained a $1,500 grant for her project, Falcons to Bluebirds.
Pavlik said the idea started from a graduate research study she did at Youngstown State University. She began the grant-writing process toward an environmental research grant from the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio.
“I had to see how much materials were going to cost so I could account for all the money being spent that they were awarding me,” Pavlik said.
Despite the extensive process, Pavlik said it was worth it.
Pavlik said she enjoyed the hands-on learning experience students get in being part of this project.
Most of the money is going toward binoculars with the remainder being spent on lumber and materials to make 25 nest boxes.
Kathy Mock, board of education president, said she’s happy to see teachers such as Pavlik willing to go the extra step for grants to enhance education.
“I hope to pass it on to next year’s class and following years after that,” Pavlik said.
She is now focusing on breeding habits of native and non-native species and how they affect one another.
“I want them to study the impact non-native species have on our environment and maybe give them some ideas for ways to make our area more native, species-wise,” Pavlik said.
Pavlik said non-native species often hurt native species, creating problems environmentally. Specifically, non-native species such as house sparrows use their aggressive behavior to harm baby bluebirds, a native species, by destroying nests and taking over the habitats.
Birds are more than just an educational favorite for Pavlik: They hold a special place in her heart as well.
“I grew up with my grandma, and we used to sit on the back porch and watch the birds because she had a ton of bird feeders,” Pavlik said. “We would sit there and identify all these birds.”
Mock said she thought it was great that Pavlik is bringing her passion into not only her classroom, but others as well.
A woodshop class at Fitch is going to help construct the nest boxes and Austintown Community Television will be broadcasting the progress.
“It’s a great integration of a lot of different curriculum areas,” Mock said.
Students are excited to be part of the new project, not just for the hands-on aspect.
“It’s just really good to see that we are spending money on something that I am looking forward to and can maybe do in my future,” said Scott Duffy, senior.