NMS Student A Finalist In Essay Contest

By Laurie Borst

Birdwatching is nothing new for Newtown Middle School eighth grader Laura Paik. With numerous bird feeders around her yard, and a mother with environmental interests, Laura was familiar with the avian parade around her home.

When her science teacher, Bev Johnson, assigned participation in a science competition, Laura chose the Young Naturalists essay contest, open to students in grades 7–12 and sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History. The competition required students to conduct an experiment and report on it in essay form. Laura chose this contest because she liked the writing portion.

Essays were due by April 1. By mid-April, Laura learned that she was a finalist. Later this summer, winners will be selected in each grade level.

With many bird feeders in the yard, Laura wondered, what kind of birds come to different feeders? As the weather got colder late last fall, the young researcher tracked which species disappeared and which others showed up as the season changed.

Laura focused on four feeders mounted on the back deck. Two feeders contained safflower seeds, one contained thistle, and a fourth held a blend of safflower and shelled sunflower seeds that her mother, Janice, mixes. For two weeks, Laura observed the feeders and recorded which species visited each one.

Over the two weeks, Laura counted 439 birds. She was puzzled by the fact that she saw only four goldfinches, a species that in the past had been observed in large numbers at her home.

“I felt I’d found a theme that said something meaningful,” Laura stated. “Goldfinches travel in large, tight flocks.”

Laura explained that during the previous year, the family had had work done on the house. She thinks the noise and activity generated by the construction work scared the finches away.

“This shows that a small thing can really influence the environment,” she said. “Small things point to big things happening. People need to learn to live with nature.”

Laura’s work will be judged again this summer along with the other finalists. By the end of summer, winners in each grade will be announced. Scholarship money will be awarded to the top essayists.

Laura has a long history of concern for animals. She has attended the Audubon camp at Bent of the River in Southbury the past couple of years. She states that she loves animals in general and volunteers for the Animal Center with her mom.

“She has been fascinated with small animals since she was little,” said Mrs Paik. “She was always watching them.”

Laura’s scientific interest in animals has morphed into an artistic interest. Since participating in the Scarecrow Sculpture contest last fall at the middle school, she has developed a love of sculpture — large sculpture.

Laura created the horse, Douglass, that was part of the Headless Horseman sculpture. She has also created a large dragon that she has named Wallis. She enjoys creating the large figures and wants to pursue that some more.

When asked about her heroes, she replied, “In the past, I admired Jane Goodall, Steve Irwin, and Rodney Fox — the shark guy. Now, Alexander Calder is a hero of mine, I admire his breakthroughs in the art world.”