NCCS News Stories
Two Country School Students Get Experiments Published in BirdSleuth Investigator Magazine
The scientific experiments of two Country School seventh graders, Will Hall-Tipping and Gabby Perreault, have been selected for publication in the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology’s annual magazine, Birdsleuth Investigator.
Their experiments, entitled: “Do Birds Prefer Black Oil Sunflower Seed or Mixed Seed?” and “Does the Height of the Feeder Affect the Number of Birds that Come to the Feeder?” were conducted over a month-long period in 2014 and submitted with assistance from sixth grade teachers, Sanjiv Maliakal and Carol Etzold.
“I thought the birds would have preferred the mixed seed, but I was wrong,” said Gabby who spent 15 minutes every day for three weeks in occasionally sub-zero and snowy weather observing the feeder in her backyard. “I’m glad that my hypothesis was wrong. I don’t think I would have learned as much otherwise.”
While many students experiment with seed type, Will tested the placement of the feeder. While testing feeder height as a variable, Will discovered that more birds prefer a feeder to be higher up. “The birds might have known that if they went to a lower feeder there was a higher likelihood of being attacked,” said Will. “I’m excited to be published in a science journal. It’s great to share my experiment with others.”
Mr. Maliakal encourages middle school students to increase their observational skills, collect data and notice details. “I want them to pay close attention to the sights and sounds of their surroundings. I also want them to be outdoors and connect with nature.” The curriculum they have devised uses the Country School’s 75-acre campus as an extension of the classroom, and is an example of the school’s commitment to experiential learning and natural exploration. “Of all the things we do in science, this is one of the most authentic,” said Mr. Maliakal. “At every step, the students are real scientists, right until the point of publishing their findings in a scientific journal.”
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New Canaan Country School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin and are afforded all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid policies or any other school-administered programs.