Driel was a member of the New London Spicer YES! team during both middle school and high school. While a member of the YES! team, Driel worked on many projects, including raising money to install water-bottle refill stations in the school to cut down on plastic waste. Another big project was holding a climate change convening during an Earth Day event at Prairie Woods ELC in order to create discussion and awareness about climate issues and to create a place for people to share their thoughts on the subject. In addition, the New London Spicer YES! team worked on putting up a natural flood barrier of native plants in a part of their landscape that had erosion and flooding issues. Driel loved seeing the real world results of their work.
Driel states, “YES! taught me a lot of things I wouldn’t have learned in the classroom. In addition to being more aware about climate issues, I’ve developed skills in both teamwork and leadership. Working on projects gives you communication skills and allows students a type of independence that prepares you for life.”
We love hearing how YES! has influenced the post-high school paths of alumni from our program. Driel notes, “YES! has influenced me in that it gave me a taste of what it’s like doing different types of things, and that’s helping me figure out what I want to do. Right now I’m at UMN Morris planning to be a studio art major. I think I might go into some type of design.”
We are excited to see what Driel continues to accomplish after participating in YES! We love hearing from our alumni. If you’d like to be featured as a YES! alumnus, please contact us and let us know.
Major funding for the YES! program was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).
