SHORELINES

9 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2016 Vol :1 Above: Photo by Joe desciose – Brandon Merced, in front of the State House in Montgomery, is interning in the Alabama Senate. He received the 2014-15 Lake Mitchell Home Owner Boat Owner scholarship. denominator is the same: students of excellence reaping rewards. Beaty explains that the Lake Mitchell program involves multiple factors: residency in Coosa or Chilton County, a paper application, a personal interview, participation in a lake cleanup activity and an Alabama college choice. Candidates also submit an essay addressing the topic "The most important environmental issue that relates to you and what can you do to make a difference." "Sometimes you think it's asking a lot to go through all those steps," Beaty says. "But we want them to think about the environment." Weiss Lake Improvement Association also thinks in environmental terms. Scholarship chair Carol Landrem explains that annual awards of $500 go to two students planning environmental careers. "It can be some type of environmental field, like soil and water conservation, maybe forestry," Landrem says of the scholarship program for Cherokee County students, now in its 12th year. "If someone is going into hydro engineering or biology, those can have something to do with the land and water, too." Some weight goes to participation in events like Renew Our Rivers and the Ground Water Festival (for county fourth-graders). Grades and a counselor letter also factor into the final selection.

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