![At the bottom of the third inning, the Lions are still scoreless. Rowe stands at home plate, preparing to bat, while Vandenbrink stands off to the side as the next batter up. Despite having the bases loaded, the team was unable to score any runs. “It’s just the beginning of the season. We’re just going to be playing out best by June, [and] that’s where champions are,” Rowe said.](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3077-1200x900.jpg)
![All smiles. The group poses for a photo with last year’s book, “This is Our House,” along with their award for third Best in Show. Meikle, who was an Editor-in-Chief for the yearbook last year as well, holds both and stands at the center of the group. “That was an amazing feeling, going and grabbing the third place award,” Meikle said. “All of it paid off. I cried so much over that book, being able to receive [the award] was one of the highlights of my high school career, it was like the coolest thing ever.”](https://wlhsnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/8bookpose_philly-1200x800.jpg)
Soaring across the classroom, the guardians of the sky grab students’ attention in Alina Blankenship’s annual presentation to the environmental science classes.
Sky Guardian Falconry, an organization led by Blankenship, presented to career technical education (CTE) students over the course of the 1-8 day, the only one of the school year so far. This included a meet-and-greet with some of the group’s rescued birds.
“We’re not necessarily here for all the kids,” Blankenship said, “We‘re here for that one. And sometimes that one is the kid sitting back in his chair, not listening, headphones on— we’re really good at identifying those kids. We talk to the rest of the class while that child is face to face with a bird. Suddenly, that child’s sitting up taller, paying attention and the headphones slide off. So we’re able to engage with them through these [birds], and it’s a way [for] them to find something that they love and are passionate about.”
Sky Guardian Falconry is based in West Linn, and provides services around Falconry Based Abatement, which is utilizing the animal to effectively scare off other birds from environments like wineries, which can deal serious harm to the product.
The group also provides services like safe avian removal, consulting, commercial use, and raptor experiences.
Falcons are used often to protect and deter other birds. Other groups using falconry as a tool include the City of Portland, the LA Football Club, Wimbledon, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Scottish Parliament, and some major airports.
Blankenship and her co-workers were brought to present to give students taking CTE Environmental Science classes exposure to real world career paths in the field.
Seeing the birds in person helps students see an actual example of how they can be used, some of their characteristics, and as a way to spread awareness of some of the issues that are solved with using falcons.
Through the different birds that the Sky Guardian Falconry presents, students get to experience working through this career path.
