Mary Peacock Photography
Congratulations to our 2019 Community Scholarship Recipient, Corban Walsh!
I am the Salutatorian of the Billerica Memorial High School class of 2019. I will be studying aerospace engineering in the fall at the University of Alabama and am in the STEM to MBA program, so I will also earn a MBA. I also compete as a varsity and club athlete in swim and track and field (throwing). I made it to finals for the Northeastern USA Jr. Olympic Trials and hope to make it to complete at the National level this year to get a chance to try to represent our country. I am also an avid musician and play oboe and both upright and electric base.
I enjoy most being able to help others; service is a core element of my daily life, it is my way of making an impact. The largest service projects I have executed are my four Boy Scout Hornaday projects, which I completed after doing my Eagle project, for which I built a pavilion in Manning State Forest. First I built, with the aid of 25 Cubs, 50 black-capped chickadee boxes. Chickadees are one of a few native species that eat invasive gypsy moths and the boxes protect the birds from feral cats. Next I protected and reforested conservation lands through trail restoration. The trail passes over a chain of vernal pools. Due to illegal ATV use the pools and surrounding trails were heavily damaged. Hikers were cutting new trails to avoid them. I built a 40 foot bridge, repaired and moved another, posted signage and then replanted the false trails. The tracks in the pools are fading, and the surrounding area is recovering well. To aid the bee population I reseeded a solar field, which is part of the Iron Horse Superfund recovery site, with clover. The field will support insects, birds and small mammals as well as help the declining bee populations. Also, clover requires less maintenance then grass. Finally, I placed 30 depositories by waterways for monofilament disposal and recycling. Many of these depositories have seen a great amount of use, and the banks are much cleaner and safer: monofilament can ensnare birds, fish and even humans.
I help my community in other ways too: each week I spend hours in service to others. I include my love of music at United Sound, where I teach special needs students to play instruments. One student I work with, Kevin, recently played with the Boston Pops. I also volunteer tutor, coach my club track and swim teams and help others with my troop and OA. Recently, I needed to tally my HS service hours and totaled over 3000 hours without counting small activities. This is some of my most cherished time and an important part of my life.
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- Corban (Assistant Scoutmaster) with his Boy Scout Troop
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- Corban’s Eagle Project
Thank you to the following businesses and individuals for their generous donations to support this scholarship!
Lodestar LLC – HR Consulting
Northeast Med Staff
Amazing Vacation Getaways
Future of Dentistry
Marcia P. Coaching
Mill Cities Leadership Institute
Long Meadow Golf Club
Little Pig Party Food
The Open Door Nursery School
Merrimack Valley Robotics
United Dental
IT Secure
Merrimack Valley Center for Empowerment
Staples
KYOCERA Document Solutions New England
Team Beach Body
Ruby Ribbon – Jo Porter
Cards by Dot powered by SendOutCards
Marshall’s Auto Body Experts
SERVPRO of Lowell
Polizzotti Plumbing & Heating LLC
John McAnespie
Judy Burke
Minuteman Press of Lowell