7 Secrets About Eagle Hill’s Annual Fund— and Why They Matter!

Have you spotted the occupational therapist in class next to Eagle Hill students? That’s the Annual Fund at work. Learners are getting the latest adaptive technologies and fine motor skills training— without having to leave the classroom. Because who wants to do that?

Dana Evans wants to let you in on some secrets. She’s the behind-thescenes Eagle Hill development officer working with caring donors to grow the school’s Annual Fund. Because without the Fund, some really important stuff could go away! Think about it:

A specialized education requires very special teachers — and Eagle Hill has them. (In fact, we’ve got four teachers for every one student!) The Annual Fund helps them stay current on the latest methods, research, and innovations in order to better educate students who learn differently.

Some students’ maturity exceeds their reading skills. But language processing shouldn’t be a barrier to learning about topics for which young people are emotionally ready. That’s why, with a boost from the Annual Fund, the dynamic Eagle Hill library and media center is stocked with unique “high content, low reading level” materials.

Thirty percent of Eagle Hill students tap into the Annual Fund for financial aid. Without it, they couldn’t access the individualized education we provide. For many, it’s the difference between struggling and soaring in a classroom — and in life.

No doubt you’ve witnessed breakthroughs at Eagle Hill – those “light bulb” moments in the classroom when a young person’s confidence overflows.

Just as profound are the breakthroughs guided by Eagle Hill’s compassionate psychologists, speechlanguage pathologists, and social workers. The Annual Fund helps defray the costs for these professionals, so students can count on the wisdom and care of supportive mental health and language experts.

Did you know that the outdoors is an essential extension of Eagle Hill classrooms, especially for science? Faculty and students plant a garden in the spring and the harvest later becomes part of Chef Frett’s food program. Students raise salmon eggs in the classroom and release them in local waters. Field trips to local organizations like the Wolf Conservation Center and the Stamford Museum and Nature Center bring learning to life. The students love it, and dollars from the Annual Fund help makes these opportunities possible.

Oh, about those national experts who visit campus to chat with Eagle Hill parents about educational technologies, brain science, or health. That’s the EHS Speaker Series, and it’s brought to you by the Annual Fund, too!

WHEREIN TH E WORLD ARE EAGLE HIL L ALUMNI?

“ Eagle Hill provides a framework for students to find their niche, which is a common term in the wildlife world. Animals have their niche — their role in the ecosystem. And Eagle Hill was definitely the stepping stone for me to find my niche.”

While looking for birds, Eagle Hill alumnus Matt Fuirst saw a lot of moose.

The research biologist for Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans spent the early months of each of the last four years living with colleagues in a remote cabin in the far reaches of the Canadian wilderness. (Average temperature: between 0 and -20° Fahrenheit.)

Fuirst loved it.

By day, they’d snowshoe many kilometers through deep snow in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario to monitor the nesting and movement patterns of Canada jays. Using radio tracking tools to locate and track the birds over a long period of time and across a huge area, they aimed to find out where the jays traveled (and why!) and what they ate.

Explained Fuirst, “Canada jays nest in spruce trees. And what’s neat about them, compared to many other birds, is that they begin nesting in late February. Most other birds build their nests in May. Canada jays are up against predators, starvation, competition, and lots of other things. And they are heavily reliant on the winter climate.”

As the climate changes, Fuirst asserted, it’s important to know what threats populations face so we can understand ways to lessen them.

He likens the predicament of the Canada jays to that of a freezer gone awry. “Canada jays rely on the winter climate to preserve their food. It’s like you keeping your chicken in the freezer until you’re ready to eat it. Because of warmer winters, their freezer is breaking down and the food is going bad. So, if jays can’t store thousands of berries and mushrooms and meat that they eat throughout the winter, what do they do?”

Fuirst’s research is ongoing, and has its unique challenges.

“When you’re navigating the wilderness, you have to improvise,” he said, “Many times, I thought I was going to be able to cross a river and I found it wasn’t frozen anymore, so I had to climb over a beaver dam. And I’ve had many instances of snowmobiles getting stuck in the snow. I had to dig them out for hours on end.”