Sign-ups available for 'Students Saving Summer Scholarship' blood drive program

The Community Blood Center of the Carolinas is recruiting students for its sixth annual "Students Saving Summer Scholarship" program.

High school and college students who organize and host a successful blood drive with the organization, between June 1 and Sept. 30, will have the chance to earn scholarship money. The students with the top five-producing blood drives will each receive a $1,000 scholarship toward college.

Students make up 20 percent of CBCC's donors, said Martin Grable, the organization's president and CEO. " 'Students Saving Summer' is an opportunity to keep students engaged and to help us get an 'arm' up on our blood supply in the summer when supplies tend to drop," he said in a release.

Participating students must choose a location, recruit donors and collect a minimum of 25 units of blood. Each student will get paired with a CBCC representative to help with planning the blood drive.

For more information or to register, contact Kim Jones at 704-972-4727 or kljones@cbcc.us.

Meet Ella McElroy, local 8-year-old artist

Meet Ella McElroy

Ella, 8, is from Waxhaw and is a third-grader at Charlotte Latin School. And she loves to paint.

She has been painting at an easel since she was 2, and took her first art class at 3. Her favorite media are pastels and acrylics.

Her latest painting, "Ella's Hawk," was recently chosen as one of the 10 best in her age division in a contest sponsored by celebratingart.com, said family friend Andrea Cooper. It also won first place in an all-school fine art competition at Charlotte Latin.

These weren't Ella's first accolades: One or her paintings was displayed at the Mint Museum when she was six, Cooper said, and it was later in an exhibit, "Celebration of Young Artists," in Italy.

Ella finds inspiration in animals, and she hopes to raise awareness and funds for wildlife conservation by painting endangered animals. She also loves horseback riding and competes as a member of the South Charlotte Equine Circuit.

Farewell from Young Achievers reporter

It's bittersweet to say today (Wednesday) is my last day at the Charlotte Observer.

I'll be getting married in a few weeks and subsequently moving to the Delaware/Philadelphia area. I have so enjoyed meeting and telling the stories of our area's young achievers. They have curious minds, care about others and the planet, and are bursting with brilliant ideas. Our young people have so much to offer and they've given me hope for a brighter future.

You'll see a few more of my stories in the paper for the next few weeks, and you'll see a couple more blog posts as well. If you want to send Young Achievers news to the Observer, contact Helen Schwab at hschwab@charlotteobserver.com.


p.s. In honor of Lindsay's work here at the Observer, here's a video from Nash Grier, the subject of several of stories this year.

Charlotte Junior Girl Scouts earn Bronze Award with bat boxes

Girl Scout Troop 10 recently completed the Bronze Award, the highest honor for the Junior Scouts age level, said troop leader Joanne Shea.

To earn the award, the scouts built bat boxes for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Park and Recreation department. The boxes have been installed by a bridge at Freedom Park and by the Park Road Montessori playground on the Greenway, Shea said.

The four-chamber bat boxes can house as many as 200 bats. The girls chose to make the boxes because bat habitats in Charlotte are shrinking, and they eat mosquitoes and insects that kill plants and crops, they wrote in a report. Also, they wrote, bat droppings make good fertilizer and help pollinate seeds.

(Photos courtesy Joanne Shea)

Inspire the Fire kids do flashmob dance uptown to 'Happy'

The kids in Inspire the Fire are feeling happy.

At the end of March, a large group of Inspire the Fire members -- preteens and teens -- surprised people uptown by breaking into a choreographed dance (for about 4 minutes) to Pharrell Williams' song, "Happy."

Inspire the Fire is a local nonprofit that works with young people and the arts. Here's a video of the event -- looked fun!

Join the school band, local mom says

Class registration is looming, and a local mom, Lisa Kunkleman, wants to tell kids that there's much to be gained from being in the school band and that's it's not as stereotypically nerdy as people used to think.

Kunkleman, a former high school guidance counselor, calls high school band a "home away from home" for students. Here's what she has to say:

Ready or not, high school class registration for next year is about to begin. Elective courses range from automotive services to yoga to oodles of other classes to consider-- including marching band. 

This isn’t yesteryear’s stereotype of geeky kids playing the school fight song. Band today is a melting pot of kids with a myriad of interests. It’s camaraderie, friendship and a place to fit in. 

Marching band, a combination of athleticism, dance moves, and musical ability, is a huge commitment but well worth it. Stamina, fitness, memorization, organization and, yes, socialization skills are honed.

The Providence High School kids highlighted below have participated in one or more of the following activities: Track and field, JROTC, Chorus, Firefighter Safety, Jazz Band, and Theater Orchestra Pit. They also play multiple instruments in multiple ensembles at Providence and maintain excellent GPAs.

Emily Lucero, senior and four year band student, said, “When I run track it’s all about competition, where in band it’s all about working together. We’re only as good as our weakest link. We try to build each other up and make each other feel good about ourselves.” Emily plans to major in biology at Appalachian State University and looks forward to playing clarinet as a Marching Mountaineer in the fall. “I’ll already have a connection with band people.”

Brothers, Joe and Sam Kunkleman, are juniors at Providence. They have been in marching band for three years, and plan to make it four. 

Joe said, “Imagine carrying a sleeping St. Bernard on your left shoulder, while doing math homework in your head, while dashing through a maze. That’s what it’s like to play tuba in a marching band.” 

He does it because of the friends. “Starting my freshman year with a group of people to sit with at lunch made my transition to high school a lot easier. The band room is like a second home.” 

Sam agreed and said, “Band camp and rehearsals require a lot of work but it’s worth it in the end to be part of a great production and entertain.” 

Eric Belongea, a junior and third year band student said, “Band provides you with a good group of friends that guide you in the right direction through high school. It’s just all around goodness.”

Marching band is certainly a class worth considering at registration time. 

What’s better than making friends, getting exercise, and having mental challenges?

Cannon senior's "Evening with The Beatles" raises more than $11,000

I blogged about Rachel Dyl, a Cannon senior, last month-- she was preparing to host "An Evening with The Beatles" fundraiser, and her school says it was a success.

She raised more than $11,000 at the event in an effort to help MusicalMinds, a nonprofit after-school program at Blythe Elementary that teaches classical music. The group wants to expand to other schools.

More than 200 people attended the sold-out event. The night started with a performance from three Blythe Elementary violinists, Ulices Garcia, Madelyn Mundy and Nadia Glenn. 

Other performers included Cannon's a cappella groups, the school's jazz group, an electric string ensemble, a pianist, a violinist, and a guitarist/singer. Rachel ended the evening with a classical piano performance and a grand finale sing-along of "Hey Jude."