As the school year ends, students have a field day

Ogdensburg students had one more chance to run and play on the school grounds at the annual field day held June 16 on one of the few dry days this month. One of the more unusual attractions was a release of homing pigeons. “I’ll release about a dozen white pigeons that are normally released at formal events like weddings,” said teacher Mike Ryder, who raises and races the birds. “They’ll fly upward while circling the field until they figure out which way is home. They tend to take a little longer to get their bearings on overcast days.” As predicted, the birds took a few extra circles around the field before heading home to Franklin. “The fact that this field is in a depression may have further confused the birds,” said Ryder. Fifteen minutes later he received a cell phone call from home reporting that all the birds arrived safely. After the brief flying demonstration the young competitors returned to their games.