Campus

The main goal of the project was to reduce and eliminate bird deaths from collisions with the school's windows.

Education, Operations

Yes, I did accomplish the main goal. Since the installation one year ago (summer 2025), there have been no reported bird deaths from window collisions for the windows that have window clings from the project applied to them.

Other

Impact measure type: Bird deaths prevented The estimated number of collisions with the front windows before the project was around 60 birds per year (about 5 per month, more during migration seasons), and that number has been reduced to around zero with a few expected outliers on windows without the clings.

I started the project pitch in late January of 2025 and applied the clings to the windows on July 1 and 2, 2025. The following summer, I also installed more clings on a smaller window on July 15, 2026.

One challenge I faced when executing my project was measuring the windows and spacing the clings accordingly. The clings needed to be spaced at most two inches apart, and I ended up over-calculating the number of window clings needed and ordered more than I needed for the original space. In response, I decided to space them 0.5 inches closer together, and also decided to expand the project to another area of the school to use more of the clings.

My principal, Ramon Moss, approved the project and reviewed my pitch and ideas. He also worked with me to scale the project for the school and identify high-strike areas of the campus. I was inspired to do this by the students and staff at the Houston Zoo through the Zoo Crew program (Bird Saving Campaign). I was the student who applied the window clings to the windows.

Yes, it was funded by the Carnegie Vanguard High School PTO. Upon my request, hey provided a full reimbursement for the purchase of the window clings. All other supplies needed for the project (EXPO markers and tape measures) were things I already had on hand.

To educate the broader campus at my school, I created a social media post that was posted to all social media platforms my school had accounts for. The post detailed what the project was, why it was important and the issue it addressed, and the impact for the community. I also educated students and staff members by answering questions they had about the project.

Individual reflection, Statistical analysis and review, Other

Campus community comments and suggestions.

Revised goals, Communicated your project results through a blog or other media, Celebrated

N/A

The biggest thing I learned from the project was to always over estimate inputs when doing a project. I underestimated the time it would take to install the window clings, ad it ended up taking almost triple the amount of time I assumed it would. I overestimated the number of window clings I would need for the project, which ended up being beneficial because it allowed me to take user feedback for other high-strike windows at the school and add more window clings to other areas of campus without having to purchase more clings.

I would advise others working on similar projects to ensure that you have help when installing the clings/objects, especially if you must cover a large area. The project took a lot of time because I did it alone and did not have any help with the physical installation, and it would have been more efficient and enjoyable if I had other students or staff members who were helping.

My future plans for the project are to identify more high-strike windows to add clings to. I will also continue to monitor the collision numbers for the windows with the clings installed to ensure they are still effective. The clings should stick to the windows for many years, so they should not need replacement frequently. None have fallen off thus far, so I believe it is fairly self-sustaining.