Collin Kelly of Sudbury, a 2017 Minuteman High School graduate, does his part to improve the local environment

PHOTO OF COLLIN KELLY WINNING A GOLD MEDAL AT SKILLSUSA STATE COMPETITION EARLIER THIS YEAR BY CLIFFORD KEIRSTEAD. PHOTO OF ENVIRONMENTAL SIGN BY JARED GREEN.

By Judy Bass

When Collin Kelly recognized an environmental problem, he used his ingenuity and education to address it, thereby earning a gold medal in a statewide competition with a shot at winning a second award at the national level.

Mr. Kelly, of Sudbury, graduated from Minuteman High School in Lexington on June 2, 2017. He majored in Environmental Science and utilized the training he received at Minuteman to inform the public of an environmental hazard that people can help to minimize and possibly even eradicate.

Mr. Kelly and his classmate, Brian Courtney, Jr., of West Roxbury, worked together on the project, titled “Invasive Species and Pollinator Awareness.” It won a gold medal in April at the SkillsUSA State Leadership and Skills Conference in Marlborough, Mass. SkillsUSA is a national organization that allows students in career and technical education to compete in a host of rigorous technical and leadership competitions.

As state gold medalists, Mr. Kelly and Mr. Courtney qualified to compete in the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference that will be held from June 19-24, 2017, in Louisville, Ky.

The project done by these two Minuteman graduates is partially aimed at highlighting the damage that can be wrought by invasive species, which Mr. Kelly and Mr. Courtney define as “animals, plants or fungus that can quickly invade new areas, bringing negative environmental effects,” such as displacement of native species, a decrease in species diversity and the degradation of native habitats.

Mr. Kelly and Mr. Courtney focused on one specific place to show the potential effects of invasive species - the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, an area in Massachusetts within the towns of Hudson, Maynard, Stow and Sudbury that consists of wetlands, pools, trails and forests. There are over 25 invasive plant species in the Refuge, according to the Minuteman grads’ project, including Glossy Buckthorn, Black Swallow-wort, Asian Bittersweet and Purple Loosestrife.

The project also mentions the importance of pollinators, which perform a key function in nature by helping plants reproduce. Pollinators can include insects and birds like the hummingbird. Mr. Kelly and Mr. Courtney state that pollinators are vital for sustaining the world’s food supply because they pollinate “75 percent of agricultural crops and flowering plants.”

What could be done with this information to make people aware of it and promote positive change? Mr. Kelly and Mr. Courtney decided to have four signs featuring text and pictures about invasive species and pollinators installed in the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury, where visitors could study them. Two of them measure 32 inches by 18 inches and are at the Visitor Center at 680 Hudson Road. Two smaller signs that are 9.5 inches by 12 inches are situated near a trail.

The endeavor was truly a team effort. The two Minuteman students were advised by experts from the Refuge and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which oversees the Refuge. The wood frames and stands for the signs were made in the Carpentry program at Minuteman. The signs were printed and designed by the school’s Design & Visual Communication program. Mr. Kelly and Mr. Courtney also met with Assabet Pulling Together, an organization of volunteers that removes invasive species from the Refuge.

Minuteman Carpentry instructor Clifford Keirstead, Design & Visual Communication instructor Allison Barry and Environmental Science instructors Alice Ofria, Terry Regan and George Protopopescu all played a role in the project’s success.

The two grads are well-positioned to excel at the National SkillsUSA event in Kentucky. They fine-tuned their presentation with help from Minuteman’s Environmental Science instructors, who are named above; they have edited the notebook they were required to prepare about how they put the project together; and Mr. Kelly has prior experience in this competition. He won a silver medal two years ago as a sophomore, and he attended and videotaped the event last year.

Jared Green, Wildlife Refuge Specialist for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at the Eastern Massachusetts National Wildlife Refuge Complex, expressed his appreciation for what Mr. Kelly and Mr. Courtney accomplished: “Collin and all the students from Minuteman who assisted on the project did a tremendous job of designing, constructing, and installing four interpretive panels at the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge in Sudbury. They will be a valuable tool for educating visitors to the Refuge. The students' hard work will hopefully serve as an inspiration to other young people to get involved in the field of conservation.”

Mr. Kelly plans to go to Framingham State University in the fall to study biology with a concentration in wildlife. His career goal is to become a research biologist for a university, state agency or wildlife refuge.

He credits his education at Minuteman for providing him with the incentive for the project.

“What really motivates us to do things to benefit the community would probably actually be our experience at Minuteman. The school has such a large impact on the community, from Carpentry students building a house to Environmental conducting a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment for the Sudbury Valley Trustees. Minuteman has really motivated us to do the best we can to make the community better.”

Minuteman was established in the 1970s as one of more than two dozen regional-vocational technical high schools in Massachusetts. Over the years, the school has distinguished itself by building a reputation for excellence. Minuteman students consistently excel on the larger stage and have won numerous awards at state and national competitions. Minuteman challenges all students to revolutionize their high school expectations by aspiring to their full potential, accelerating their learning, and achieving success in the 21st-century global community.