An aviary is a sanctuary used to house and rehabilitate birds while keeping them safe until they are ready to fly. When coming up with a name for Gladwin High School’s essentials closet, Principal Elizabeth Brown knew that this name fit both the concept of the school, and what the
Aviary was made to do.
The goal of the Aviary is to give Gladwin students a place to get clothing, hygiene products, house cleaning supplies and many other necessities that students might find themselves in need of, free of charge. Students are able to access the Aviary by asking a teacher or stopping
by on one of the days that it is open at lunch.
The Aviary got its start in 2017 when Principal Brown saw a news story about a school up north that had a closet filled with clothing and other supplies for their students. Brown said, “I saw it and literally thought, ‘We can do that, but better.’ We already kept a small amount of clothing and personal hygiene products, so this was more about expanding and being more intentional about it.” From that point on, the Aviary has received tons of donations from the community, as well as help from GHS National Honor Society members and their advisor Tim French.
With the craziness of 2020 came many issues, one of them being the Aviary falling behind. After a year and a half of limited progress resulted in disorganization and clutter, Brown and a few members of the NHS decided it was time to bring it back to life. After months of hard
work and planning, the students were able to renovate the Aviary into what it is today. They are proud of what they were able to accomplish in a short amount