After the end of yet another fruitful Hawkeye meeting, our Editor-in-Chiefs were heading back downstairs when they discovered an anxious group of ducklings, frantically running back and forth under the stairwell near room 113. Trapped by the doors, these chicks were understandably frightened. It was later discovered that the doors to the courtyard had been left open, allowing the chicks to walk through the doors of JP. Security footage also showed our ducklings traversing the empty halls of JP Stevens, unable to navigate this maze. 

Momentarily stunned by this discovery, the EICs soon jumped into action, running to get the nearest administrator. Ms. Achiron was the first to appear on the scene, quickly followed by The Hawkeye advisors, Mrs. Betancur and Ms. Barbitta, who rushed to calm the apprehensive mother and chicks. 

In all the commotion, the mother duck felt threatened, startled by all the adults and students surrounding her. She started to flap her wings furiously, only to smack into the glass door. Then, in a last-ditch attempt to escape the confined stairwell, the mother duck flew upwards and hit the ceiling. She fell dramatically to the floor and laid motionless on the ground. 

This only resulted in further chaos as the ducklings dispersed in every direction, distraught and afraid. Mr. Riley and a custodian, Mr. Gary Higgins, soon appeared, with a box in hand to place the chicks in. Ms. Eyler then arrived, calling animal control in hopes of rectifying the situation. 

It was first thought that our mama duck had broken her neck as she laid on the floor, unable to move. However, when Ms. Barbitta held the injured mother in her arms, it was revealed that her neck was unharmed. As the mother duck started calming down in Ms. Barbitta’s arms, our administrators realized that a few of her ducklings escaped outside. Our Editors-in-Chief were then sent outside to collect the frightened stragglers. They found the ducklings adorably nestled in the doorway near room 105 and with the help of Mr. Riley and a student, the ducks were placed safely into the box. 

Animal control arrived at the scene shortly after and all the ducks were successfully placed in their care, joyfully reunited with their mother. It was revealed later on that the mother duckling had recovered, and was released back to the wild with her children. At the conclusion of the The Hawkeye Meeting, our duck crew rejoiced, happy that they were able to aid our beloved ducklings. This one-of-a-kind experience will certainly be added to the countless memories that JP holds within its walls.