For the second year in a row, the mayor's office ran a contest among the city's schoolchildren to name the chicks born to the falcon pair that nest atop the 18-story City Hall tower.
Cielo and Mayye are the two female chicks and Mercury is the male chick. Cielo is the Spanish word for "sky" or "heaven" while Mayye is the Miwok Indian word for "bird." Mercury is the name of a Greek god and was chosen because of San Jose's historic role as a center of mercury mining in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
"We received more than 130 wonderful entries. Our staff, our volunteer judges, and the voters from the falcon fan list-serve were delighted to see how many children had spent time learning about peregrine falcons and expressing themselves creatively," Reed said. "In addition to selecting names for the falcons, this contest was designed to encourage young people to take interest in nature and science, and to express their interest artistically."
The winning entries were submitted by Aidan, a kindergartener at Hacienda Environmental Science Magnet School who submitted Cielo; Justin, a fifth grader at Village School who submitted Mayye; and Cameron, a third grader at Parkview School who submitted Mercury, according to mayoral spokeswoman Michelle McGurk.
