NEWBURGH – San Miguel Academy’s sixth-grade students recently completed an immersive, place-based learning project on peregrine falcons, led by Molly Albrecht, Director of Curriculum and Instruction. After reading My Side of the Mountain and Frightful’s Mountain by Jean Craighead George, students deepened their understanding through field visits to the Hudson Highlands Nature Center, where they explored potential peregrine nesting areas and examined the species’ food web.
Students also simulated a falcon’s remarkable 220-mph dive using the school’s STEMPilot Flight Simulator, guided by retired American Airlines captain David Terwilliger.
As a capstone, students prepared presentations on peregrine migration, environmental threats, and habitat conservation. The program concluded with a special visit from second-generation falconer Thomas JV Cullen IV and his wife, Brittany, of TC Management and Falcon Excursions in Goshen, NY, who brought a live peregrine falcon for students to observe as they shared their work.
This initiative highlights San Miguel Academy’s commitment to hands-on, place-based learning rooted in the Hudson Valley.
San Miguel Academy is a year-round, STEM-based school serving low-opportunity families in Newburgh, NY. Its mission is to break the cycle of poverty through education by making a long-term commitment to students and their families.
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