LANGLEY — It’ll be hard to miss the mark left by South Whidbey’s Class of 2011.

After all, it stands 20 feet high in front of the main entrance.

And it’s a giant carved wooden falcon.

“It was to bestow our legacy on South Whidbey,” said Tyler “Chuck” Norris, the former ASB president who graduated in June.

The $2,500 gift from the class of 2011 funds is quite a legacy. Norris and his dad, John, oversaw the creation and installation of the cedar falcon.

Its lacquer makes it shine when sun strikes it. The chestnut-brown wood is marked with black scorching in its feathers. The inch-wide marble eyes are black with no reflection, ever-watching without giving away its focus.

Norris had the idea in May as a class gift, and presented the falcon to the school on July 1. From the main entrance looking toward the school, the sculpture is on the right and stands atop the raised grass.

Local woodcarver Steve Backus and his family, Nanette, Chelsey and Boone all had a hand in crafting the 8-foot-tall artwork. Then John Norris sanded and lacquered it before he used a RotoZip to carve out “2011” and paint it black.

More hands than the Norris’ and the Backus’ went into the production of the falcon, however. Brian Jones built the metal base and will texture and paint the pillar. Zeke Spalding, also a recent South Whidbey grad, and his dad, Doug Spalding, poured the concrete pillar the falcon stands atop. Hanson’s Building Supply brought out a boom truck to lift it on top of the concrete pillar, and it’s since been bolted in place.

Norris also spoke with South Whidbey principal John Patton for permission to place it in front of the school.

“We’re the only people who didn’t get paid,” laughed John Norris.

All of the work was done so the Class of 2011 had an indelible mark on the school. It’s a visual reminder of the class beyond fading paint or a dusty plaque.

“I think when people come, like a townie, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, you go to the school with the huge falcon in front,’” Chuck Norris said.

The only concern from his father: That rivals to the Falcons would damage their beloved bird. He laughed as he suggested some students from, say, Coupeville, might be tempted to focus on the falcon for a prank.

For now, the 20-foot tall cedar falcon stands, eyes vigilant, looking over the school. It’s the mark of 2011.