It’s officially back to school in Abington School District, and McKinley Elementary School students, teachers and staff celebrated with a special assembly starring ‘Challenger’ – the Bald Eagle that is cared for by the American Eagle Foundation.
Challenger and the American Eagle Foundation came to McKinley as a result of the idea of one student, third-grader Camelia Florea. Last year, with the excitement of the Philadelphia Eagles heading to the Super Bowl, the McKinley community was looking for a meaningful way to celebrate, bringing to mind that the Bald Eagle is our national bird. Camelia had an idea that the school should help protect Bald Eagles, and thus an initiative was born in which students raised awareness about protecting this beautiful species and sponsored a “Protect a National Bird Day.” Students and staff showed their support for the conservation movement by wearing apparel with an eagle on it before the Super Bowl, and giving an optional donation to the American Eagle Foundation.
Challenger became the first Bald Eagle in U.S. history trained to free-fly into major sports stadiums, arenas, and ballrooms during the National Anthem – including at Lincoln Financial Field for Philadelphia Eagles games. At McKinley, Challenger’s handlers thanked the students for their awareness campaign and donation to their foundation, and provided a demonstration to teach students about protecting this beautiful species and our nation’s Bald Eagles. Challenger took a moment to spread his wings and even did some talking during the students’ applause. The following day, fresh off his visit at McKinley, Challenger had the privilege of flying into Lincoln Financial Field once again for the Philadelphia Eagles’ first home game of the season.
