Rachel Carson Scholar Program

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.

What Is a Rachel Carson Scholar?

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:

  • Demonstrates interest in or knowledge of the natural world
  • Has taken an active role in community-based environmental stewardship activities
  • Has a strong academic record

Who Are the Winning Rachel Carson Scholars?

2009 Winners

First Place Winner:

Richa Kelsi

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. 

Second Place Winner:

Jon Baker

Edgewood Senior High School; Edgewood, MD

Third Place Winner:

Natalie Ferguson

McDonogh School; Owings Mills, Maryland

Other Rachel Carson Scholars:

  • Matt Brown, C. Milton Wright High School
  • Evan Burgess, Catoctin High School
  • Ginni LaRosa, Damascus High School

2008 Scholars

2008 Rachel Carson Scholars:
Maryland

2008 Rachel Carson Scholars:
Loudoun County Virginia

First Place Winner:
Olivia Smith
The Key School
Annapolis, Maryland

First Place Winner:
Melissa Wright
Loudoun Valley High School
Purcellville, Virginia

Second Place Winner:
Katie Dell
Liberty High School
Eldersburg, Maryland

Second Place Winner:
Emily Zatorski
Loudoun County High School
Leesburg, Virginia

Third Place Winner:
Michael Chamberlain
Poolesville High School
Poolesville, Maryland

Third Place Winner:
Christopher Potts
Loudoun Valley High School
Purcellville, Virginia

Other Rachel Carson Scholars:
Cassie Conklin, Mountain Ridge HS
Halley Epstein, Beth Tfiloh
Katelyn Erickson, Mountain Ridge HS
Joshua Gloster, Patuxent HS
Sikandar Porter-Gill, Gaithersburg HS
Hannah Sanford-Crane, Bohemia Manor
Carol Yang, Eleanor Roosevelt HS
Ping Yeh, Centennial HS

Other Rachel Carson Scholars:
Jennifer Weatherly, Dominion HS

2007 Scholars

First Place Winner

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.

Second Place Winner

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.

Third Place Winner

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.

Other Scholars

  • Melissa Duvall of Arnold, a senior at Broadneck Senior High School in Annapolis
  • Laura Betz of Monkton, a senior at North Harford High School in Pylesville
  • Stephanie DeHaven of Reisterstown, a senior at the Western School of Technology in Baltimore
  • Jennifer Shellem of Bel Air, a senior at Harford Christian School in Darlington