Ithan Elementary School has a new bird blind.

Fifth graders from the class of 2009 began creating the bird blind as a legacy project and passed it on to the rest of the students at Ithan. The bird blind was built using six large wooden panels with peep-hole cutouts that allow visitors to view birds without disturbing them or their habitat.

Last year the fifth-grade students painted large trees on the panels to represent the four seasons of the year. This year fifth graders, along with their second-grade buddies, added an inspirational quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.”

The bird blind was installed Oct. 22, and the fifth and second graders teamed up to plant bird-friendly plants Oct. 24. The children will visit the bird blind regularly to learn about birds and their habitats and to journal about their observations.

All Ithan students, teachers, families, and members of the community are invited to visit the bird blind often and enjoy observing the many varieties of birds which are expected to make this their new home.

Now all three RTSD elementary schools have outdoor classrooms.

“This has been a collaborative effort among many different groups who have been working on this project for a year, and we are very pleased with how it has turned out,” said IES principal Pat Madeira. “Our students have been in on this from the beginning and are very invested in the success of this bird blind.”

This project was made possible by the efforts of many: the Radnor Conservancy (represented by Ginny Kreitler), the Pennsylvania Audubon Society (Steve Saffier), Radnor Educational Foundation (Joy Antonoplos), and the Ithan PTO (Shannon Frigerio), IES Radnor Green environmental committee (Catherine Etters and Allison Holtz) and fifth and second grade teachers (Vicki Boettcher, Elinor Ball and Brooke Doyle), and Leo Bernabei and his facilities crew. They – and the IES students – contributed enthusiasm and generous support to this very worthwhile and enduring project.