Eagle stories, chapter two: Either the food supply is getting a bit scarce in the late winter or perhaps the opportunity was just too good to pass up. A caller knew my interest in bald eagles and said he had just seen one feeding on a dead deer north of Countryside Veterinary Clinic Thursday afternoon.
Not expecting to find anything on the busy highway, I still decided to take a little road trip. Up ahead I saw what turned out to be the freshly killed deer lying on the east shoulder of the highway. But the only birds I saw flocking around it were crows. Then I happened to look across the road and there he was, sitting about 10 yards off the fence row in the middle of the snow-covered field.
The young but mature male eagle didn’t seem too concerned with the busy highway. In fact, it looked like he had just decided to leave his meal to rest for a minute, not more than a few yards away. He didn’t flinch when I pulled alongside the east side of the road and fired off several pictures. Then I went on ahead to Irving and turned around. By this time, he had decided to go for the second course and was perched atop his prey. With no traffic in the area, I stopped for a brief second right across from him and fired off the picture seen here. He apparently then decided he had enough and took off.
They say the bald eagle is making a comeback and there are more of them than they were a few years ago. But any time I get a chance to get a picture of this majestic bird, I jump at it. Thanks, caller.
On to another topic – This week the Belle Plaine Board of Education reviewed a possible revision in the district’s academic eligibility policy. The current policy allows students to fail a class and still maintain eligibility for sports, music or other extracurricular activities. The proposed revision would mandate that students must be passing every class to participate.
During the discussion, there was some indication that at least a few of the board members might favor an even more strict policy. One commented that perhaps students should have better than a “D” average to participate.
Make no mistake, students who play a sport or sing in a choir or play in a band are representing their school, as well as themselves. Schools have every right to expect the students to be of good moral character and in good academic standing to participate. There have been way too many reports in other school districts of star athletes cruising through their high school years while teachers looked the other way and allowed them to play even though they weren’t learning anything.
But speaking from personal experience from the dark ages, I would urge the board to tread cautiously in making any serious revisions to the policy. Early on I realized I was not as academically gifted as some of my close friends. I would never be a doctor or lawyer. At best I was an average student who happened to do well on standardized tests. There were many days when the only reason I wanted to get out of bed was to get to jazz band or choir practice before school or because we had a football game that night. I don’t recall a single day when I sprang out of bed in eager anticipation of a math or science test. But I knew I had to take care of business in the classroom in order to be allowed to sing or be with the football team.
It is not too much to ask that students be passing all of their classes in order to take part in extracurricular activities. But if they had raised the standards to make students carry a “C” average, for example, there were semesters I wouldn’t have been able to participate.
Studies have also shown that students who participate in extracurricular activities tend to be better students. There’s good reason to believe that if a student has the discipline to succeed on the field or in the concert hall, then they will do better in the classroom.
Another concern expressed at the last board meeting was how at-risk students were being served in the schools. Perhaps school officials might suggest to some of them, at least, that they become involved in an extracurricular activity. Keep the interest up, develop the discipline and the grades may improve.