KSB Awards Environmental Scholarships
Last month, Keep Smyrna Beautiful (KSB) awarded the first-ever KSB Environmental Studies Scholarships to two Campbell High School seniors.
KSB created the scholarships from the funds raised at the 2022 Art & Garden Tour, which KSB hosted with the Smyrna Arts Council. The purpose of the $1,500 scholarships is to support students who are planning to pursue a degree in an environmentally related field. As part of the event, the Arts Council raised money for scholarships for students pursuing a degree in the arts.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer support to these two outstanding local high school students,” said KSB Executive Director Julie Barwig. “They are smart, ambitious, and truly embody the values of Keep Smyrna Beautiful, to protect the environment and serve the community.”
The KSB Board of Directors is excited to share more about these two outstanding young people:
Alexandria Sellers is a member of the National Honor Society and the president of the Campbell High School Black Student Association. She has worked as a poll worker, is active in the CHS Earth Club, and is a social justice organizer. She started leading litter cleanups in her neighborhood as a child, and she is interested in learning how to eliminate plastic pollution and create an infrastructure that limits the everyday use of plastic. “Receiving the Keep Smyrna Beautiful Scholarship is a huge honor, and I am eager to represent this amazing organization that works so hard to reduce pollution and keep the community of Smyrna clean,” says Alexandria. “I am thankful to receive this scholarship as it will help to fund my education at the University of Georgia as I study Environmental Economics and Management.”
Emery Dembski has been on the track and field team all four years of high school as well as an active participant in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She plans to pursue a degree in environmental engineering, and she is particularly interested in the ways that microbes are being utilized to clean up pollutants in the ocean and the reduction of the environmental impacts of transportation, infrastructure, and manufacturing. “I’m so grateful to receive a scholarship from people who share the same passion for sustainability and the health of the environment that I do,” says Emery. “I can’t wait for the opportunities that college will bring, and I will work hard to be able to make a change.”
The Environmental Studies Student Scholarships are just one of many ways Keep Smyrna Beautiful partners with local schools to encourage environmental stewardship. KSB also offers the following:
- School Grants for beautification, gardening, or environmental education projects,
- Teacher Continuing Education Scholarships for public school teachers to attend training in environmental education,
- Tours of the Smyrna Recycling Center, and
- Educational presentations and activities.
To learn more about these programs visit https://keepsmyrnabeautiful.com/school-partnerships
