Eyes To The Skies School Project Update

You've heard about the successful school program in Meridian, Mississippi. Now the students of Oakland Heights Elementary School are reaching for a new goal - to visit a portion of the 2004 AU national convention in Tampa, Florida.

Students are in the planning stages with the Queen City Racing Pigeon Club members to conduct a special race to raise funds to get there. Birds are currently being accepted for that race. It is hoped that the entry fees will cover both the race efforts and the travel expenses. Race dates are October 16, 23 and 30.

The rapidly growing movement of school racing pigeon projects has been greatly stimulated by the activities of this school program. Named "Eyes To The Skies," the program has enriched the learning experience for students in several class subjects.

Eyes To The Skies is a two-year program funded by a grant from Toyota TIME and illustrates the enhancement of study in English class through writing letters to pigeon fanciers for information; math class through figuring and examining race speeds; and technology instruction through use of the Winspeed® race calculation program. Additionally, the students were involved in the initial loft construction, which gave many of them a familiarity with carpentry that they may not have had otherwise. It has truly been a rounded teaching means.

The "Best Practices" video created by the Mississippi Department of Education has been an invaluable tool in sharing the concept with other schools. The influence is quickly spreading to states such as California, Utah, Ohio, Wisconsin and Texas.

Starting their third year in the program, students expanded their experience by attending a recent NPA convention in Birmingham, Alabama. At the show, students put up a photo display depicting wartime use of homing pigeons and featured examples of historical equipment used in that service. In addition, they ran a PowerPoint program for viewers to find out more about their project.

While at the show, the young fanciers observed an array of over 5,000 birds on display. Watching Homer judging provided additional insight for the students.

Now they plan to travel to Florida. While there, they intend to visit area lofts and take part in the national youth race loft arrival. "This will be a continuation of the wonderful experiences these kids are having as a result of this type of program. We're all excited to meet more fanciers and get a glimpse of what is referred to as 'Little Belgium' while we are there," said project coordinator Ronnie Shumaker.

Those who are interested in finding out more about this type of program or in finding out more about the special race can contact Ronnie Shumaker at 601-659-3133, 601-484-4985 or rshumaker@mpsd.k12.ms.us 

If you are interested in starting this type of program in your area, please contact American Racing Pigeon Union for helpful materials: 405-848-5801, aupromo@aol.com