Birding with teenagers

Adam Blundell is the teacher behind the pioneering and innovative Ornithology Program at Farmington High School. When the school was built in 2018, it was designed with the ambition of becoming a leader in education. Both the school district and the school administration were enthusiastic about supporting an initiative that no one else was developing. In its first year, the program had 50 students. The number of students grew rapidly and now reaches 120, with many more on a waiting list hoping to join the program next year. Many of them are also members of the ornithology club, which organizes trips to the natural wetlands in the area.

Adam is one of the leading ornithology teachers in the United States. He has developed an extraordinarily unique program that offers ornithology as a year-long science course with academic credit for high school students. It may be the only program of its kind in the entire country.

Do teenagers bird? Will they be interested in learning about birds? What challenges are involved in establishing an ornithology course at a high school?

This lecture explores the challenges and opportunities of offering ornithology in the United States and anywhere else in the world. Learn how the program was developed and why it has grown to serve more than 120 students each year. Discover why a high school ornithology program could be key to engaging young birders and helping to conserve birds.

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