Leah Burgess, a senior at Spruce Mountain High School in Jay, was recognized for her contributions to Maine’s environmental education ecosystem on May 10 during the Maine Environmental Education Association annual awards ceremony at MeANS Academy in Hinckley.

Burgess received the award for student of the year, according to a news release from the association.

Growing up with outdoorsy parents, she was instilled with love and respect for the natural world around her, and from a young age learned simple things like picking up trash along trails and leaving no trace of her time in the forest. These little things eventually led her to develop a passion for caring for the environment.

In high school, she found an extracurricular that aligned with her love for the environment: Envirothon.

Through Envirothon, she has had the opportunity to do more than just compete against other teams in environmental knowledge and trivia. She has participated in stewardship projects with the Androscoggin Land Trust, carried out annual water testing at her town’s primary water source, planned tree harvesting on the recreational property behind the high school, and participated in local trail maintenance, river clean-ups, and numerous community and youth engagement events.

She plans to continue her efforts to preserve the environment’s natural resources by studying environmental engineering at the University of New Hampshire.

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