IT WAS THE SPRING OF 2016, AND Trish O’Kane, a college professor, sat in Flynn Elementary School’s auditorium in Burlington, Vermont. When a student who was typically very shy volunteered to take the stage, O’Kane was as proud as a parent. In front of hundreds of classmates and with a mentor by her side, the girl demonstrated the lively sounds of a chickadee’s call. For the next week, O’Kane was tickled to learn, the kids used their newfound avian knowledge to annoy their teachers.
O’Kane’s class, Birding to Change the World, helped facilitate that moment. In the University of
