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NWP Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists - Levittown, New York, USA

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6174617461746174617461746174617461746174Fifty_White_Spruce_for_MHS
Levittown, New York, USA

sully49



Registered: September 2009
City/Town/Province: University Park
Posts: 1
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When my principal honored me for winning a science research award last January, he said something that rang true, “Michael’s passionate work reflects a life-long interest in soccer…and a family tradition steeped in community service.” I guess a lot of what I do does grow from my parents, and my sisters. Maybe it’s because Dad’s a packrat. Maybe it’s Mom’s kind heart. But Sullivans just don’t throw things out. I’m not talking about hand-me-downs. We don’t even let other people throw out their own “gently used” stuff! Got soccer cleats that no longer fit? My little sister finds new homes for them in Haiti. She’s done that 8000 times and she’s only 14. My big sister started a program at our high school to recover un-served cafeteria leftovers. They go to a battered women’s shelter. Since 4th grade I’ve been working with a group called Rock & Wrap It Up to redistribute leftover catering food from rock concerts, company parties, & weddings. Just like my sisters, I’ve initiated my own program to make a difference. Have you ever wondered what happens to the concession leftovers after sporting events? Well, after almost all professional games in the NY area, leftovers go to shelters. Two years ago, I noticed one team had been overlooked and started my own “SportsWrap” program. Since then, I’ve taken personal responsibility for the safe handling, collection, and delivery of all NY Dragons leftovers to shelters after every game. Now that I’m at college, I’m starting over after Penn State football games. This is nothing new really. When I was nine, I decided to collect children’s books to give to “poor kids and kids in hospitals”. Three months later, I had collected nearly 1700 “gently used” storybooks. The Levittown PTA adopted my program as its own and now runs it in every district school. My principal nominated me for a Kohl’s Award, and the Town of Hempstead honored me as their youngest ever “Community Servant of the Year.” That was pretty cool. But mostly, I wanted to keep up with my sisters. It’s a friendly competition, but don’t be fooled – it is a competition. We each want to save the world first.
Well, the environment is no different. “Waste not, want not.” As Treasurer of MacArthur High School Environmental Club in Levittown, NY, last fall I applied for a grant from the Saratoga Tree Nursery. Their School Seedling Program provides a limited number of New York State schools and their students with the experience of learning hands-on about the natural world and the value of the trees in it. We are advised and inspired by two outstanding science teachers, David Friedman and Matthew Zausin, so I had plenty of help crafting my request.
The fifty white spruce seedlings arrived on Long Island in plenty of time to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd with a planting on the MacArthur campus. The trees (Picea glauca) are native short-needled evergreens. White spruce grows in clay and loamy soils, and reaches seventy feet at maturity. The Environmental Club planted the seedlings to beautify the school grounds and, at the same time, stabilize soil and prevent erosion. I plan to show my children the trees some day.
It doesn’t matter whether I’m “recycling” food, trees or soccer cleats, doing the right thing and making sure my younger friends and relatives know how to do it once I’ve graduated or moved on is a responsibility I don’t take lightly. That’s what leadership is all about. It’s not about rah-rah speeches or self-aggrandizing boasts. It’s about being there, about doing the dirty work – sometimes writing letters, sometimes digging holes, sometimes picking up trash.
This summer I’m really excited about two opportunities to put what I’ve learned into practice in South Africa. Hopefully, one or maybe even both will work out. My geography professor asked me to apply for an internship with her waste water program near Johannesburg. I think her work is really important and I’d love to be a part of it. I also applied to volunteer in the environmental services division of FIFA’s World Cup in Capetown. They’d like us to be conversational in two languages, so I’ll probably have to brush up on my French IV, but my Environmental Science/Business double major seems about right.
Date: September 11, 2009 Views: 5010 File size: 56.3kb : 350 x 267
Hours Volunteered: 30
Volunteers: 12
Authors Age & Age Range of Volunteers: 14 to 18
Area Restored for Native Wildlife (hectares): 2.0
Native Trees Planted: 50
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