SWHS club wins President’s Volunteer Service Award

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May 15, 2008

By SUSAN WHEELDON, Staff Writer The Commonwealth Journal Thu May 15, 2008, 08:01 PM EDT

Somerset — A group from Southwestern High School was presented an award Monday that only a handful of people have received over the last two years.

Students in the Southwestern High School Conservation Club and Raptor Center were presented the President’s Volunteer Service Award, for their numerous hours they volunteer.

“This is not something which happens very often,” said Don Christy, EPA Regional Chief of Staff Region 4, who said his only reason for coming to Kentucky was to present the award.

The club, which is nationally recognized, was honored for the numerous hours the high school students volunteer to care for injured birds of prey as well as their efforts to clean up communities, build trails and do water testing and recycling.

The awards ceremony was previously set to be given in February, but due to weather conditions the ceremony had to be postponed.

Christy said he has helped present all the awards in the Southeastern region over the last two years, and other programs or people he has presented awards to include a wild and scenic protection program in Mississippi, a man who had been building and working on a trails to the sea effort, and a lady in Tennessee who has been working on water quality for 40 years.

There have just been around four or five awards over the last two years, Christy explained.

While Christy was on hand to present the award, EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson spoke to the students and congratulated them for their efforts via video conference.

“I would like to recognize you for contributing countless hours of your personal time to protect our environment,” said Johnson.

Johnson told the students they were nominated for the award and called their accomplishments “noteworthy.”

“(These awards) are not given out daily,” said Johnson. “... It’s a very special award.”

Christy told the students their work is greatly appreciated and said he hopes they will continue on with their efforts.

The club is one of the few high schools in the U.S. to operate a Raptor Rehabilition Center. Through the program, students volunteer to feed, exercise and provide limited medical care to the birds as well as maintain the facilities. The Center houses two bald eagles, a golden eagle, several red tailed hawks, owls and other birds of prey. The club is also featured in Environmental Science, a high school science textbook.

“This is a great thing,” said Christy. “If my high school had such a program I would have definitely been involved.”

Christy said he believes the club helps those involved become more socially responsible, have more citizenship and be environmentally responsible adults.

“We’re so excited and honored to receive this award,” said Adrian Tapp, a junior at Southwestern.

Tapp said now she hopes that the award will help expand the club. She said they are currently working to raise enough money for a nature center and hopefully the award will help them with money and grants.

The center, which would be solar active, would house offices, a library, a computer lab, a place to do research, food prep for the birds, a drop off for birds during the night hours and when no one is at the facility, a lab for genetic studies, a gift shop, a classroom and a small indoor amphitheater.

Advisor Frances Carter said they currently have raised $140,000 and they need $500,000 to build the center.

Other activities the club performs at the school includes taking care of a greenhouse, which houses native plants and trees; performing water testing; coordinating recycling at the school; taking part in the Lake Cumberland Cleanup, as well as being the only high school to part of KY EXCEL (Kentucky Excellence in Environmental Leadership).

They also are known around the nation for their raptor program, where students take care of birds-of-prey that are hurt and try and rehabilitate them, so they can go back into their natural environment. Students also perform presentations throughout the community, helping people learn more about the birds-of-prey.

The President’s Volunteer Service Award was created at the President’s direction by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. The award is available to youth ages 14 and under who have completed 50 or more hours of volunteer service; to individuals 15 and older who have completed 100 or more hours; and to families or groups who have completed 200 or more hours.

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