Call it a "wing and a prayer" for a young eagle. Or, call it the work ethic of students at Cortez’s Southwest Open School paying off on many levels.

Approximately 40 students applied their efforts earlier this year to the construction of a flight cage — a structure which allows wounded birds of prey to fly again, while keeping them close to veterinary help. The cage was then donated to the Montelores Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, operated by Sheryl Rose and Stephen Sloan.

The students’ efforts were rewarded Monday when Sloan released a 3-year-old golden eagle with a broken wing into the cage, where it will continue to heal and strengthen further before being released.

The eagle was found in the Cherry Creek area suffering from a mid-shaft ulnar fracture, Sheryl Rose said. The bird was discovered by a private citizen, who, with the help of the Division of Wildlife, captured it. The bird was then turned over to Rose, who is licensed to rehabilitate many types of injured wildlife.

"The (fracture) was in a good position and healed well," Rose said, adding that the bird will eventually be released into the wild. Rose said a strong effort is made to release animals close to the places where they have been discovered.

Stan Davis, an instructor at the Open School, said Monday that the students recognized the need for a flight cage in Southwest Colorado, and then stuck to their committment to build the cage, despite some financial difficulties.

"We knew Stephen and Sheryl and knew that there was a real need for a flight cage," Davis said. "They rehabilitate raptors to a point, but would have to ship them off to teach them how to fly." Such movement was traumatic for the bird, Davis said, and so the students saw the need for a local cage.

Davis said that the school then wrote a grant to Quest International, a teaching organization for service learning. Service learning is a teaching model that exposes young people to the benefits of community service, Davis said.

Although she one day hopes to become a non-profit agency, Rose presently relies on the generosity of community-minded individuals to support the rehab center. Veterinarian Angela Porter donates her services to the facility, while friends of Rose and Sloan do all they can to provide game meat and rodents for the wildlife.

"It was just great ... (the cage) is twice as big as anything else I have," Rose said of the Open School students’ work.

Rose also praised Kay Phelps’ class at Lewis-Arriola Elementary School, who sold T-shirts as a fund-raiser for the facility. Altogether, the Lewis-Arriola students raised $300 for the rehab center.

"I really appreciate all of the work the students do," Rose said.

Davis was also pleased with the Open School students’ efforts. "This will help dramatically," he said of the cage. He was especially excited by the arrival of the eagle, because it allowed his students to see the cage in use, and to celebrate "how we can help the community."

The bird provided a "good way to bring the project full circle," he said. "(It) makes the experience more meaningful."

More service learning projects are underway at Southwest Open, Davis said. Recently, students returned from Pinon, Ariz., where they helped build a Navajo sweat lodge. The students have also built their own sidewalks at the school and are involved in ongoing projects for community improvement.