Observer to Activist

My passion for birds, wildlife, and biodiversity drove me to become a climate activist. It was a natural segue, as on every bird walk I would hear older birders reminisce about the “good old days”—the days when migration wasn’t delayed, or when the trees fruited at the right time, or when valuable habitat was intact. Once I got involved and began pushing against our entrenched systems (the “business as usual” that creates the climate crisis), I treated birding as escapism. I tried to silence with warbler songs the alarm bells of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports. I pretended that when I looked through binoculars, the world’s problems fell away. However, while ignorance may be bliss, knowledge is power. Seeing the effects of climate change on birds is now another reason to fight for a livable future.

BY ANNA SIEGEL ’24

We are viewed as obsessive, constant, bird-brained. This stereotype is particularly present in school environments, where kids are often already labeled in terms of their popularity, sport of choice, and style. Yet my experience as a young birder is one of overlapping identities. This means that with only twenty-four hours in a day, I have to wear many different hats and juggle many different roles throughout a given week. After making props for the spring play at school, I run to a local birding spot, then go home to hop onto a Zoom call where youth and adults alike make plans to take equitable climate action.

There are times when I’m so busy that I complain to my parents that I haven’t been birding “for ages.” However, birds are always on my mind, showing up in the poetry I write, the art I create, and the advocacy I do. I’ve grown more comfortable over time with the label of “bird nerd” or even “climate kid.”

Last summer I took my first road trip out West at the same time a key environmental bill I had worked on extensively was being written into law. I toggled between scanning the skies for condors and staring at my phone to receive live updates on the bill signing. I cried with joy that day. I saw a magnificent individual of the species that exemplifies American conservation, the California condor, and my first political rodeo culminated in a historic success for the climate.

If passion creates activists, then what creates passion? How do the overlapping identities of young people fall into place? While these questions could be addressed with philosophical conjectures or genetic studies, in my life the determining factor has been mentorship. Supportive, encouraging, and resource-providing adults were, and continue to be, essential to my development as a birder, climate activist, and young adult.

The Waynflete community is a prime place for young people to find mentors, discover passions, and fight for what they believe in. I encourage adults within the community to be cognizant of these opportunities and seek out ways to guide students toward effecting change and realizing their identities.

Anna Siegel ’24 is a climate justice activist, student, and birder from Yarmouth. Anna serves as advocacy director of Maine Youth Action, is a core member of Maine Youth for Climate Justice, and is engaged with many organizations working on political and grassroots advocacy. She is an avid hiker and artist.

In spring 2022, Waynflete successfully completed its decennial accreditation with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). This is a significant accomplishment, as it demonstrates our commitment to meeting high standards of educational excellence and continuous improvement. In its report to the school, the NEASC committee members wrote:

Waynflete is a school characterized by warmth, acceptance, mutual appreciation and support, a commitment to excellence, and a wonderful sense of fun. The students have strong voices and embrace their own agency, from early childhood through 12th grade. They take up space, literally and figuratively, and we saw numerous instances in which they cheered one another on in classes or activities, or while just hanging around in the halls. They seem comfortable with themselves, their bodies, their selfpresentation, and their identities—all of which is only possible if the adults model and actively support that acceptance and comfort. The DEI work of the school is so embedded in the culture and curriculum that the resulting sense of belonging is palpable. Though the school has admirable goals to ensure that literally every student feels included and knows that they matter to the community, the committee saw ample evidence that this sense of belonging permeates life at the school and that the sense of community is marvelously strong. Throughout the school, the walls are covered with evidence of the school’s values and of the students’ learning, further bolstering the wholechild growth that the school prizes above all.

The dedicated faculty and staff consistently strive to make the school better for the students and to improve their own professional work. There is a strong collaborative energy at the school and also a stated desire to ensure that hiring, professional development, and faculty/staff evaluations are consistent and robust. The “all hands on deck” attitude of the employees is noteworthy and surely leads to the students’ expressed belief that they can go to any adult anytime and find support.

The Waynflete mission is not a ubiquitous wall decoration; rather, it is alive and palpable in every aspect of the school’s philosophy and culture. It defines the school community and at the same time determines it by attracting educators who have the same core values of engaging, guiding, and encouraging young minds.