Something Exciting is Hatching at The Avery Coonley School

Downers Grove, IL - Just above the cloister of The Avery Coonley School lies a new home for a Mother Goose and her eggs. What started as a typical spring season for the school quickly led to the joy of following along with the journey of two geese who have come to campus as they prepare for their seven baby geese to hatch!

As news of the geese spread throughout the school, excitement arose amongst students and staff alike. Students lovingly named the geese Lucy and Walter, eagerly awaiting the hatching of their goslings. Both the Tech Team and the Maintenance Team at The Avery Coonley School took note of the unique opportunity this would bring to campus and created an outlet for our curious students and faculty.

First, the teams mounted a camera to live stream the nest for students and staff to view the progress of Lucy’s seven eggs. Then, the teams created a public link to share with our families at ACS and the greater community. This live stream is now being watched throughout the world, with one viewer from the UK stating, “Wow, surprised by how much snow there is in the goose cam! It’s mid-April.”

Jaime Surdynski, whose class spends a lot of time in the school's cloister, began sharing fun stories of Walter the Goose attending her class. "The whole thing is hysterical, really. It’s been sweet. The students include him in class and have even started sharing Goose facts with me." Walter leisurely swims by and observes classes as he helps guard the nest. He's been a part of the music class's swing dancing lessons and even enjoyed listening as they played boom whackers.

It is no surprise that this story has grabbed the attention of the school's bright, gifted, and curious learners who remained engaged, invested, and full of new questions and observations. For students at The Avery Coonley School, “tell me more” goes to their core. The Goose Cam is no exception and has undoubtedly become a favorite topic of discussion.

Displayed occasionally in classrooms and full-time at the front desk, the school is excited to continue watching this Goose Family’s journey. Several Group 4 students excitedly shared, “It’s kinda cool to be able to watch it in the classroom!” Join the school in welcoming their newest members here: https://www.averycoonley.org/page/goosecam.

Driven by the motivation to serve its students, The Avery Coonley School confidently opened its doors for in-person learning on August 27, 2020. It has continued to remain open safely, with no outbreaks or transmissions. The Avery Coonley School is a dynamic and diverse independent day school serving academically bright and gifted students from preschool - 8th grade in Downers Grove, IL. Find more information here: https://www.averycoonley.org/.