It's hard to think of bats as cute and fuzzy when they're terrorizing the attic. But Sewickley Academy junior Kacey Wells says she and her family are long-time supporters of bats.

"Bats really do get a bad rap," she says. "I mean they're such nice animals. They don't do anything wrong. So I was really glad that we did it, and my dad was excited too."

Wells and the five other students in Robert Michalow's environmental science class haven't actually seen any bats yet this spring. But they spent several months learning about the flying mammals. They also put together large wooden boxes to use as bat houses.

Senior Ryan Heryford says the students planted the boxes atop 20-foot poles at a site in nearby Franklin Park.

"Bats will live anywhere they can find an open crevice or space to live in," says Heryford. "The reasons people complain about bats is because they find their way into their homes. And that's because there aren't places for them to live because there's so much construction around their natural habitat. So we put these up so they have an alternate living space that's safe and friendly."

Teacher Robert Michalow says he expects to continue using those bat houses to teach future classes. "We're going to investigate the type of insects that do populate the area to make sure that the bats do have some type of food source," says Michalow. He adds that future classes will be able to identify the species of bats and keep track of them.

The bat houses went up in March and are still awaiting their first winged visitors. But with room for about 300 bats per box, and three boxes in the park, it may only be a matter of time.