Middleton Stream Team Scholarship Award

Carleen Harring of Billerica, a senior at Essex Northshore Agricultural and Technical School, was awarded the Middleton Stream Team Scholarship in June. She will be attending Massachusetts Maritime Academy in the fall, with a major in Marine Science and Safety and Environmental Protection. Carleen trained IRWA members how to test for dissolved oxygen. She has been involved in The Stream Team’s Earth Day Festival for two years. She has worked over 140 hours developing and working on recycling and composting for Essex Tech school.

Carleen also was a Co-Op Intern at Danvers Water Treatment Plant here in Middleton, working 12 to 18 hours a week performing labs and rounds from 2018 to this June. She has participated in many 4 Ocean Beach Clean-Ups and on an overnight Baker’s Island water and island environmental assessment. She was Co-President of the Environmental Action Club of Essex Tech school. Carleen was also on the Natural Resources Advisory Board. She was a presenter and competitor in Mass Envirothon, presenting on town impacts on the surrounding  watershed.

We wish Carleen well in her studies and future career. The Middleton Stream team encourages all North Shore Tech students in the environmental studies and natural resource programs to apply for the one thousand dollar scholarship in early Spring. The donors that contribute are helping a young student become a future protector of our environment, especially our wetlands, oceans and rivers!   

Middleton Stream Team Environmental Award

A small ceremony with social distancing was conducted by the Middleton Stream Team Scholarship committee this Spring. Mira Plante was the recipient of the one-thousand dollar environmental award. President, Sandy Rubchinuk, presented a certificate stating that “Mira Plante has demonstrated, in her studies and actions, an exceedingly active interest in environmental stewardship and the protection of natural resources.” She will be using her check as she enters Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she has been accepted with a double major in Computer Science and Environmental Science/Environmental Engineering.

Mira has been a resident of Middleton since she was two years old. She wrote a curriculum, partnering with the Middleton Stream Team, of which she is a member, and the Ipswich River Watershed Association, and presented her river protection program at the Flint Library. Mira also spoke before the Middleton Board of Selectmen, proposing changes to the take-out policies that would reduce litter. She also contacted state legislators. Mira received her Gold Award as a girl scout for this work. Mira and her brother Rohan have a blog titled “Greenward Bound”, where they teach by example ways they are making their home more plastic free. Mira is an Ambassador for “Middleton Drives Electric” also. Mira also has been employed by the Flint Library and Bobs stores.

Mira has been of invaluable assistance planning and running a fun environmental kiosk activity at the Earth Day Festival. She created a community “Give Thanks Challenge” to encourage families to clean up litter.  She is now working on her Boy Scout “Eagle Scout” project, to plant long rooted native plants that prevent erosion in places along the river deemed by the IRWA to be vulnerable. Mira was also busy at Masconomet. She was station manager of WBMT, the Masco radio station. She was a member of the National Honor Society. She was also in the French National Honor Society.

Most of all, Mira Plante was an inspiration. She was a young person that gave us hope; she used her actions to better the environment and taught others that they can make a big difference just through their actions!  Her essay demonstrated her intense dedication to environmental stewardship. The scholarship committee was unanimous in their decision to grant Mira this award.  The Middleton Stream Team would also like to thank all the donors that contributed to this award and the Essex North Shore Technical School Scholarship which will be presented by mail.  Please go to our web site for details on how to apply next year if you will be a senior.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute will be just the first step in this bright and dedicated young woman’s career. We wish her success and know she will continue to inspire us all!  We thank you Mira, but Mother Earth thanks you more!

Thank You to our donors as well as the scholarship and award committee members for their hard work!