Olivia Stubbs
Design Editor

Walking around the R.J. Reynolds High School campus, one can’t help but notice the melodic sounds of local bird populations. These birds, ranging from the Carolina chickadee to the dark-eyed junco, not only provide a backtrack to daily life, but they also support the ecosystems in our area. To celebrate birds in all their glory, RJR seniors Maggie Atkinson, Lilly Greene, and Joshua Sarfert started the RJRR.J. Reynolds Audubon Club.

“Audubon Club originally started because we’re all very interested in bettering the environment around us,” Atkinson said. “We’re very concerned with issues that are going on concerning avian species in North Carolina.”

These environmental interests and motivations inspired Atkinson, Greene, and Sarfert to take action at RJR. 

“Birds are a really important part of our ecosystem, and they’re often overlooked, so we thought that we’d make a club to bring awareness and education to that,” Greene said.

While existing clubs at RJR aim to serve the environment, these students wanted to build a community explicitly focused on birds and their essential role. 

“There wasn’t anything at Reynolds that was similar to Audubon Club,” Atkinson said. “So, we really just wanted to use Reynolds’s resources to create any kind of club we wanted because, at Reynolds, you can do that. We wanted to use that ability to do something that hadn’t really been done before.”

Soon after these students shared their ideas, interest in the club poured in. This included RJR math teacher David Vuckovich, the club’s faculty sponsor.

“He actually reached out to us,” Greene said. “He was like, ‘I actually love birds, and I want to be your sponsor.’ That was a really helpful little spark that I didn’t think would happen.”

Many students also showed interest, and the Club Fair helped build on this progress. With a growing group of members, the Audubon Club has drawn students from all around RJR.

“This club consists of a bunch of different kinds of people, and it’s not like other clubs at Reynolds that tend to be kind of homogenous,” Atkinson said. “We really wanted to create a club that welcomed everyone.”

Since the beginning of the school year, the Audubon Club has met frequently, trying out various games and activities. The most popular project was birdhouse painting, where students gathered in the RJR courtyard to decorate wooden birdhouses.

“We’ve gotten to know everybody in the club, their favorite birds, and a little bit about them,” Greene said.

    After a smooth start to its inaugural year, Audubon Club is ready to soar to greater heights. Its leaders have many aspirations for the coming months and the second semester. 

    “We’re hoping to raise money for the Carolina Raptor Center through a bake sale,” Atkinson said. “Hopefully, we will even be able to take a field trip there.”

    Since Atkinson, Greene, and Sarfert are all current seniors, they have also begun considering how the club will look once they are gone. 

    “We already have a group of sophomores and juniors that have shown a lot of interest in the club,” Atkinson said. “We’re really confident that they can keep it going once we’re gone because they have similar interests, and they understand the importance of spreading our message.”

    As Audubon Club grows and gains traction at RJR, it promotes the importance of recognizing the small, unseen factors essential to our world. 

    “I think it’s important for people to realize how much ecosystems are connected and how you don’t just depend on the things that are obvious,” Greene said. “Birds are a fundamental part of our ecosystem.”