Student Project Spotlight: Project Seagull
A persistent seagull problem at school inspired students to take action with Project Seagull. The team—Adrian Andrews (Mountain Village), Jazzelle Moto (Deering), JoElle Kamkoff (Kotlik), and Kristen Turet (Marshall)—set out to keep seagulls from nesting on the roof, where they had been bothering students and staff.
The idea came from Director Dave (YKSD), who shared the issue with the students. To tackle it, the team built a scale model of the roof to plan their solution. They learned that active nests can’t be moved without a permit, so
their plan focuses on a temporary bird net and poles that can be removed when the summer ends.
During development, the team faced challenges with pole height and support. They solved this by using buckets of concrete instead of blocks, giving the poles more stability and height.
The next steps include preparing materials and leaving clear instructions for school staff to set up the netting. The students say their favorite moments were building the prototype, working out the pole structure, and collaborating as a team—with help from mentors like Brian, who helped improve their presentation.
Through creativity, planning, and teamwork, Project Seagull is designed to protect the school roof while keeping students safe from nuisance birds.
Nice work Adrian, Jazzelle, Jojo and Kristen!
