KNOXVILLE, TN — This week, students, teachers, and community members celebrated the accomplishments of a select group of Fulton High School sophomores, juniors and seniors. 16 students were recognized by Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash for their participation in the Environmental and Community Leaders Fellowship.
The Environmental and Community Leaders Fellowship is a partnership between Fulton High School, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In addition to exploring careers and opportunities in the environmental field, the program is designed to empower young adults to develop their self-awareness, civic leadership skills, and personal connections to nature. The fellowship is a two-year cohort model that takes place during after-school meetings throughout the school year, culminating in a trip to Tremont’s campus inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Fulton High School teacher and program coordinator Kimberly Kennard welcomes the crowd to the fellowship celebration.
The celebration kicked off with a welcome and reflections by student participants. Then, Tremont President and CEO Catey McClary introduced Superintendent Cash to address the group. Cash reflected on his own journey into environmental leadership, touching on the challenges he faced as a person of color in the field. He encouraged the students to “let the curiosity of you succeeding at something overcome your fear of failure.”
“These students have shown remarkable resilience in their growth as leaders throughout the year and it’s been a joy to get to know them as they deepened their relationships with each other and the natural world,” said Tremont Education Director and program leader John DiDiego. “I think having Superintendent Cash share his experiences with the group really helped these young people imagine themselves in these types of leadership roles.”
The students recognized were Zachary Barnett, Alyssa Bates, Victoria Fiorentino, Azlan Gaertner, Kameron Griffin, Sidney Lowery, Henry Lubke, Jose Lucas Francisco, Antonia Ntaconayigize, Fabian Nunez, Kenny Pate, Elijah Roach, Alexandria “Gracie” Russell, Gabriela Sanchez Benitez, Miranda Spurlock, and Damian Yeary. Barnett, Fiorentino, Lowery, Nunez, Pate, Russell, and Yeary were additionally recognized as graduating seniors.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash speaks one-on-one with program participant Fabian Nunez during the fellowship celebration.
Though the school year is winding down, several participants will continue to work with Tremont Institute and the national park throughout the summer. Four current program participants and one program alumni will be offered paid summer internships, splitting their time between assisting with Tremont’s environmental education summer programs and learning about the different departments and career possibilities at the national park.
Many juniors will return to the program next year as seniors. Tremont and Fulton High School staff are currently recruiting sophomores to apply to participate next year.
Financial support for the Environmental and Community Leaders Fellowship is provided by Friends of the Smokies, National Park Service, Volkswagen and The Conservation Fund. To learn more about the program, visit www.gsmit.org/leaders-fellowship.
Cover image: Gabriela Sanchez Benitez shakes hands with Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash. Also pictured: John DiDiego, Tremont Education Director, and Kimberly Kennard, Fulton High School Teacher.
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Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont provides in-depth experiences through educational programs that celebrate ecological and cultural diversity, foster stewardship, and nurture appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Learn more at www.gsmit.org.
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April 15, 2022
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