Spending his childhood being fascinated by animals and plants, junior Emmett Williams often bugged his parents with questions about nature and the environment.
His parents enrolled him in Boy Scouts, giving Williams the chance to learn about different species and national parks. His troop often went hiking and camping in forests, so he was able to explore new ecosystems.
Now that Williams is in high school, he still often enjoys going camping and hiking, saying that it gets him off his phone and allows him to enjoy the outdoors.
“It makes you realize all the fun stuff nature can offer,” Williams said.
With his passion for the environment, Williams was moved last year to join a club that had a similar enthusiasm for nature. This year, he is the president of the club Students for Sustainability.
Biology and AP Environmental Science teacher Rachele Felix has taken on the role of the club’s sponsor. She is a first-year teacher for the APES class, so sponsoring the club as well helped broaden her experience with environmental science.
“I felt like it was a great thing to take on,” Felix said.
The club had its first meeting of the year in April, and the students who attended learned about the layers of soil and why each one is important.
Freshman Alae Bououdina said she wanted to join Students for Sustainability because she is concerned about forests getting cut down and the amount of water required for AI usage. She wanted to learn more to know how to help.
“We wanted to join to help boost the environment,” Bououdina said.
Bououdina said she likes how it is a club where anyone can go to the meetings to learn new things about the environment.
“People can just go to the meetings if they want to, and have fun doing and learning things,” Bououdina said.
Bououdina always had an interest in helping the environment, and she is excited about attending more meetings to learn more about the world and how she can do her part.
“It can help people see how they should stop doing certain things and be more open-minded about what is happening to the environment,” Bououdina said.
Williams said he is excited to see where the club is going to end up, and is eager to share his ideas.
