Danville Students Honored By PETA For Bald Eagle Conservation Efforts

DANVILLE, CA — Students at Danville’s John Baldwin Elementary School helped raise funds to help save the habitat of Jackie and Shadow, a pair of bald eagles who live in Big Bear Valley. To thank the students for their help, PETA awarded the students with a Guardian of the Eagles Award and a vegan ice cream party.

Students first connected with the eagles through science teacher Sara Stinson. As part of their lessons about bird life cycles, students watched a 24-hour live feed that showed the two eagles building their nest, laying eggs, and raising their chicks. When Stinson learned the eagles’ foraging area was threatened by development, she told her students, who asked what they could do to help.

The students wrote letters urging community members and celebrities to support the habitat conservation. They also launched a number of fundraising initiatives, which ranged from bake sales to lemonade stands to bald eagle origami to walking downtown Danville with informational posters.

“Compassion is soaring to new heights at John Baldwin Elementary School, where dedicated teachers and their students are protecting Jackie and Shadow’s home and proving they can make a powerful difference in animals’ lives,” said PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “Their efforts will help ensure these eagles and their eaglets can thrive, and TeachKind salutes them for setting a shining example for school communities everywhere.”

TeachKind, PETA’s educational wing, said it plans to continue partnering with John Baldwin Elementary School and provide additional humane education resources to support the curriculum for the next school year.

“We are incredibly proud of our students and staff -they saw a need, took action, & proved that you’re never too young to make an impact,” San Ramon Valley Unified School District said.