CONGRATULATING MICHELE KEARNS, KELLY GENOVA, AND THE STUDENTS OF FESTUS' QUEST K-8 GIFTED PROGRAM FOR RECEIVING THE EPA'S PRESIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH AWARD; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 120
(Extensions of Remarks - July 17, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRATULATING MICHELE KEARNS, KELLY GENOVA, AND THE STUDENTS OF
FESTUS' QUEST K-8 GIFTED PROGRAM FOR RECEIVING THE EPA'S PRESIDENTIAL
ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH AWARD
______
HON. BLAINE LUETKEMEYER
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
Mr. LUETKEMEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to
join me in congratulating Festus, Missouri teachers, Michele Kearns and
Kelly Genova and the students of Festus' Quest K-8 Gifted Program for
receiving the Environmental Protection Agency's Presidential
Environmental Youth Award.
Long before receiving this prestigious award, it all started last
year with two teachers, Michele and Kelly deciding to come together and
apply for a grant from the Innovative Technology Education Fund in St.
Louis, Missouri. The pair successfully received $22,000 for their
students. Unaware to them, with this grant, it was the start of a great
journey for the students of Quest.
Michele and Kelly challenged their students to apply their knowledge
and skillset in the STEM fields to come up with uses of the grant funds
that would be beneficial to the Festus community. The students
identified a problem, came up with a plan to solve it, and worked
together to execute their project perfectly.
The students of Quest noticed that their city park had an awful
mosquito infestation during warmer weather. Their goal was to eliminate
the problem for park goers in an environmentally friendly way, and they
did that with the invention of Pollinator Paradise. With Pollinator
Paradise, the students of Quest designed, built, and installed homes
for Indiana bats, mason bees, purple martins, humming birds, and
monarch butterflies, all of which are natural pest controls, and
pollinators. The end result was a more diverse makeup of wildlife and a
more pleasant setting at the park.
The students of Quest have demonstrated that no matter how small and
young one might be, you don't have to wait to start making a difference
and impacting your community. Earlier this year, Michele and Kelly
decided that others needed to know what the students of Quest were
accomplishing down in Festus, Missouri and applied for the EPA's
Presidential Youth Award. Much to their surprise, they were selected to
receive this prestigious award. As their Representative, I couldn't be
prouder of this group. They are the perfect examples of the great
things that can come from team work and dedication. I know this is only
the beginning for Quest. They are our next generation of thinkers,
inventors, teachers, doctors, and leaders, and I look forward to seeing
what the future holds for each and every one of them.
Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in congratulating Michele,
Kelly, and all the students of Quest on this distinguished award and
for a job well done.
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