{"id":6017,"date":"2019-12-18T14:17:46","date_gmt":"2019-12-18T23:17:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/communications.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us\/?p=6017"},"modified":"2019-12-18T14:17:46","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T23:17:46","slug":"kpbsd-inspiration-anna-devolld","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpbsd.org\/schools\/comm-test\/2019\/12\/18\/kpbsd-inspiration-anna-devolld\/","title":{"rendered":"KPBSD inspiration: Anna Devolld"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KPBSD Inspiration: Anna DeVolld, Connections Homeschool<\/a> Class of 2023<\/p>\n\n\n

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She\u2019s 14, won\u2019t graduate until 2023, and is buzzingly\nchanging our world, one word, image, and seed at a time. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

Meet Anna, a homeschool student, with an online\nteacher who inspires her to be a citizen scientist\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cMy KPBSD Distance Education science teacher, Ms.\nLeslie, inspires me to set high goals and work diligently to reach them. She\nalways encourages me to be a \u201ccitizen scientist\u201d and to make a difference in\nour community by following my dreams. She has an amazingly kind and funny\npersonality, and as my role model, she has shown me that curiosity and\nresiliency are important! Not only does she support my academic life, but she\nalso cares about who I am and what I\u2019m interested in. Because of the way she touches\nmy life (even though we\u2019ve only met in person a few times), I\u2019m planning to go\ninto the same profession: online education. I want to change students\u2019 lives\nthe way she has changed mine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Caring for the Kenai competition with educator Kim Leslie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

Faced with Choices\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

Recently, pollinators have been declared the most\nimportant creatures on earth by the Earthwatch Institute, and yet their numbers\nare declining at an alarming rate. In the U.S. alone, their numbers drop by 30%\nevery year!<\/p>\n\n\n

Last year, I decided to do something about this\nworldwide problem and I created a program to benefit pollinators here in\nAlaska: P.O.P. \u2013 Promote Our Pollinators<\/strong>!\nP.O.P. began as a Caring for the Kenai project and is designed to educate our\ncommunity about the importance of pollinators and why their numbers are\ndeclining, while providing ways to promote their population growth and\ninspiring the next generation to be good stewards of our natural resources. I\ncreated a flier, activity book, Facebook page, Twitter account, and website to\neducate and inspire our community to take action for pollinators. I have\ndesigned promotional items like reusable tote bags, stickers, and buttons and\ndistributed them at many community events like Industry Appreciation Day. I\nhave given numerous presentations in schools, Rotary Clubs, and at the Soldotna\nSenior Center. <\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you are 14, it can sometimes be difficult and overwhelming to start a project like this, but I have the support of many individuals, organizations, and agencies who encourage me to pursue my passion for pollinators.” <\/strong><\/em>\u2013Anna Devolld<\/p>\n\n\n

Would you like a portable, pollinator garden?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cI created Pollinator Packs to address pollinator habitat loss. Pollinator Packs are six-pack pots that contain six different pollinator-friendly seedlings: the start of a pretty, portable, pollinator garden for anyone! My prototype year in 2019 ensured the plants would thrive and attract our indigenous pollinators. Next summer, I will be planting and freely distributing hundreds of Pollinator Packs, providing the easy to locate food source that pollinators need at frequent intervals in urban areas. The supplies needed to grow these packs and produce the promotional items are funded by grants from the Awesome Foundation, the Challenger Learning Center of Alaska, ENSTAR, and by donations from local businesses. The City of Soldotna and Soldotna Parks and Recreation have partnered with me to install permanent pollinator garden signs in five locations this spring.<\/p>\n\n\n

Education and State Government<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

I am scheduling more presentations for this spring and creating an online P.O.P. class for 3rd<\/sup> through 6th<\/sup> graders. In addition, I am also requesting that the Alaska DOT implement section 1415 of the Fixing America\u2019s Surface Transportation Act, a law that encourages state governments to use best practices to support pollinator health along roadside rights of way.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a gardener, and I really like planting seeds, so here\u2019s one for you to grow: find something that you\u2019re passionate about, no matter how small, and see how you can use it to change our world.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> <\/strong>\u2013Anna Devolld<\/p>\n\n\n

Fun counts too!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

While I love dancing and playing my piano, many of my\nfavorite activities take place outside. I always look forward to skiing at\nAlyeska. My dad taught me how to ski when I was two, and now I can almost beat\nhim down the slopes! I also really enjoy camping in the summer: sitting around\nthe fire, roasting marshmallows, and listening to the sounds of the lake. In\naddition to admiring the scenery, we get to meet quite a bit of wildlife. One\nyear, a brown bear came sauntering through our campsite! We watched him\ninvestigate a little bit, but when he took special interest in our tent, Mom\ndecided it was time to get a trailer!<\/p>\n\n\n

Expanding\nhorizons with travel <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

I love to travel! Every year, my family visits a\ndifferent part of the United States to see famous landmarks and historical\nsites. We have been all across the country: from New York to California and\nMinnesota to Texas. Last summer, we drove along the Mississippi River from\nMinnesota to Louisiana; it was amazing how much the climate and culture changed\nas we traveled. I enjoyed all the amazing architecture and delicious food\n(Cajun food? Yes, please!).<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cWhatever you\ndo, work at it with all your heart\u2026\u201d<\/strong> Colossians\n3:23a is Miss Devolld\u2019s favorite motivational phrase, and it is abundantly clear\nthat it is a guiding principle leading her vision and destiny. What grabs your\nheart of care in our world? What supports do you need, and what can your first\nstep be to begin? <\/p>\n\n\n

Want to learn more about pollinators? Connect online:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

Links<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n