Ty Maple is an eighth-grade student who knows what he wants from life.
And I believe wholeheartedly that he is going to get it.
Maple and I sat down at Carl Stuart Middle School one morning last week to talk about a recycling program he has implemented at the school that tripled the amount of recycled products in its first week.
He said he saw a need in the school and a drive in the community to go green, so he took it upon himself to make it happen.
All it takes is one person's leadership to begin to change the world. And the world needs more Ty Maples.
Getting the project started was easy, he said. He put a recycling box in every classroom so the students didn't have to leave the room to recycle, and he put himself and his friends in charge of collecting the recyclables to save the janitors an extra step.
He thought ahead, too. He asked Melinda Ferrand, advisor of the school's Student Council, of which he is president, if the group would like to take on the project.
Now each student has a designated hallway to pick up recycling and Maple knows the project will continue after he leaves Carl Stuart and moves on to high school.
But that's not all.
The idea to make his school more eco-friendly was sparked in Tammy McCollum's career orientation class. She asked him if he had any ideas for a state community service project and this is what he came up with.
So not only did he implement the best recycling program Carl Stuart has ever seen, he also wrote a 20-page report to submit as a contest entry.
A 20-page report is a stretch for the average college student, let alone a 14-year-old, but he did it. And he did it well.
Maple told me he wanted to make a difference in the world and he also told me the three things he wants to do with his life after he finishes his education. He wants to be a principal (of Carl Stuart, no less), a pastor and the president.
I won't say those aren't lofty goals, but if anyone can do it, he can. He is an extremely impressive 14-year-old boy and I know I'm not the only one who sees it.
His teachers tell me they not only notice his leadership, both in and out of the classroom, but they say he is just a polite, nice person who will help out in any way he can.
And I know mom and dad have to be a little proud, too.
It really does just take one person to make a difference and I can't wait to see the rest of the good Maple will create in his lifetime.
(Staff writer Jessica Bauer can be reached by e-mail at jessica.bauer@thecabin.net or by phone at 505-1236. To comment on this and other stories in the Log Cabin, log on to www.thecabin.net. Send us your news at www.thecabin.net/submit)
