Launched in 2007 in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s birth, the Rachel Carson Scholar Program is designed to raise awareness of and honor Rachel Carson’s work. Through her writings and work, Rachel Carson alerted the world to the dangers of chemical pesticides and launched our modern environmental movement.
The goal of the Rachel Carson Scholar Program is to recognize and honor students with a strong academic background who are taking active roles in environmental stewardship in their community. A Rachel Carson Scholar is one who:
Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School; Bethesda, Maryland
Richa has been involved with environmental issues since she was a young child and has a very impressive resume of environmental work she has been involved in. She was a leader in getting solar panels installed at her school, and wrote grants to the Maryland Energy Administration to secure funding for the project. She was selected for a fellowship with the Center for International Education where she was educated about pressing global environmental issues and encouraged to take action. As a result, she started her own organization called LiveGreenLearnGreen, an environmental service organization that looks to improve the quality of life of low-income families in Montgomery County, Maryland with a focus on energy efficiency. Richa is an impressive young lady and will be attending the University of Maryland in the fall.
Edgewood Senior High School; Edgewood, MD
McDonogh School; Owings Mills, Maryland
2008 Rachel Carson Scholars: |
2008 Rachel Carson Scholars: |
First Place Winner: |
First Place Winner: |
Second Place Winner: |
Second Place Winner: |
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Third Place Winner: |
Other Rachel Carson Scholars: |
Other Rachel Carson Scholars: |
Jennifer Crick
Chesapeake City, Maryland
The Tome School (in North East, Maryland)
Jennifer has volunteered more than 1,000 hours — leading her school’s Environmental Club and helping create a new school recycling plan; planting trees, organizing river clean-ups and coordinating bird rescue donations as a Girl Scout; and volunteering at two historic, environmentally sensitive sites. She plans to become an environmental lawyer.
Dietrich Epp Schmidt
Hyattsville, Maryland
Eleanor Roosevelt High School (Greenbelt, Maryland)
Dietrich planted American lotus seeds along the Anacostia River and monitored their growth over 12 weeks for a wetlands restoration and research project with the Anacostia Watershed Society. He also served on the Youth Conservation Corps at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and organized local park clean-ups.
Wade Simmons
Forest Hill, Maryland
C. Milton Wright High School (Bel Air, Maryland)
Wade has served as a counselor to fifth-graders at an environmental education center and volunteered at a historic grist mill and park. He will spend the summer with the Student Conservation Association, working in Saguaro National Park.