Proposal
Mrs. Amy Boutilier
Sport and Medical Sciences Academy
280 Huyshope Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
Dear Mrs. Boutilier,
The basis of my capstone project is planting trees and improving the environment to benefit my community. I am interested in planting trees because I am passionate about helping the environment. Climate change is a serious issue right now because it continues to worsen, so I believe that taking action as soon as possible is the right thing to do. Planting trees help combat climate change and overall improve the quality of the environment of the community around them. The recent wildfires that devastated the state of California have also contributed to my interest in trees for my capstone. My capstone project includes volunteering to help plant trees. In a recent meeting with my mentor, Donna Swarr, she explained to me that the best way to plant trees in the community is to help an existing organization that is dedicated to planting trees. She told me about the Knox Foundation and how they partner with the city forester, community organizations, residents, and volunteers to help plan and plant trees in Hartford to help reverse urban deforestation. The Knox Foundation plans to plant 500 trees in Hartford by November 15th of this year. Donna gave me the contact information of the foundation's executive director, Patrick Doyle, and I emailed him, informing him about my interest in helping the environment and in volunteering with the foundation. Also, my father has connections with the foundation’s field operations manager, Craig Mergins, and I have also informed him of my interests. My capstone project also includes fundraising money for trees. Through my initial research for my capstone project, I came across a non-profit organization called One Tree Planted. They are an environmental charity with a mission to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. They plant trees all over the world, including the state of California. Due to the recent wildfires, I want to fundraise money and donate it to this organization so that they could plant trees in California. These trees can help reduce the impact of wildfires, protect the water supply, and improve the forests’ resilience. In order to fundraise the money, I will sell wristbands. The wristbands will have some sort of text such as “You planted a tree!” and I plan to use a company such as 24hourwristbands to buy them. My capstone project also includes volunteering to help at parks, specifically Colt Park. My mentor Donna is the president of Friends at Colt Park and has already given me a date to volunteer. On October 3rd, I and some of my peers will volunteer to help Donna with the Colt Park Grand Reopening Celebration. She has asked us to help manage the “All Ages Games” from 2 to 4 P.M. Along with this event, I will continue to work with Donna to help volunteer at future events.
My research question is “What environmental issues do urban areas face and how can planting trees act as a solution?” This question is connected to my project because the answer explains the importance of planting trees, specifically in my community: Hartford. One environmental issue is air pollution, which is a very common issue among urban communities because of several reasons, including the high amount of transportation by private vehicles and the gases and chemicals being released into the air by factories. Another environmental issue that urban communities face is the heat island effect, which raises the temperature of the urban area significantly compared to surrounding rural areas because of human activities. Planting trees is just one of the many solutions that can help solve these environmental issues, but it is also one of the simplest. My research will help to drive my project because through learning how impactful and beneficial planting trees can be, I realize how impactful and beneficial a simple act of volunteering in my community can be. Artifacts that I plan on collecting as evidence that I carried out my project are photos or videos of me planting trees and emails that prove that I volunteered.
As I have said before, my mentor is Donna Swarr, the president of Friends at Colt Park. She is qualified to be my mentor because she has experience in working with Parks and Recreation. Also, along with her experience comes her network and list of contacts that she can provide me with to help me and move my project forward. Her email is [email protected]. I predict that the area where I will grow and that will be my learning stretch will be independence. For my whole life, I have always relied on my parents to do things for me. They schedule my doctor appointments, they wash my laundry, and sometimes they even pick what clothes I wear. Because I am now becoming an adult, graduating, and moving onto a new stage in my life, I will have to become more independent. This doesn’t mean that I won’t receive help from my parents, but it means that I will take charge. The person in charge of my capstone project is me, and the person that will move my project forward is me, and the person that will complete my project is me. This is how I will grow more independent and this is how I will become prepared for my future. The part of my project that will push me is the actual completion of my project. I sometimes struggle with commitment in my projects. A lot of the time I would start a new project that I am excited about, but I would never continue to work on it and finish it. The completion of my project will push me because it will force me to work hard and stay dedicated since I am the one in charge. Capstone is a challenge that is both scary and exciting for me, but I am up for it either way and I know I will pass it.
Sincerely,
Santiago Gonzalez
Sport and Medical Sciences Academy
280 Huyshope Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
Dear Mrs. Boutilier,
The basis of my capstone project is planting trees and improving the environment to benefit my community. I am interested in planting trees because I am passionate about helping the environment. Climate change is a serious issue right now because it continues to worsen, so I believe that taking action as soon as possible is the right thing to do. Planting trees help combat climate change and overall improve the quality of the environment of the community around them. The recent wildfires that devastated the state of California have also contributed to my interest in trees for my capstone. My capstone project includes volunteering to help plant trees. In a recent meeting with my mentor, Donna Swarr, she explained to me that the best way to plant trees in the community is to help an existing organization that is dedicated to planting trees. She told me about the Knox Foundation and how they partner with the city forester, community organizations, residents, and volunteers to help plan and plant trees in Hartford to help reverse urban deforestation. The Knox Foundation plans to plant 500 trees in Hartford by November 15th of this year. Donna gave me the contact information of the foundation's executive director, Patrick Doyle, and I emailed him, informing him about my interest in helping the environment and in volunteering with the foundation. Also, my father has connections with the foundation’s field operations manager, Craig Mergins, and I have also informed him of my interests. My capstone project also includes fundraising money for trees. Through my initial research for my capstone project, I came across a non-profit organization called One Tree Planted. They are an environmental charity with a mission to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. They plant trees all over the world, including the state of California. Due to the recent wildfires, I want to fundraise money and donate it to this organization so that they could plant trees in California. These trees can help reduce the impact of wildfires, protect the water supply, and improve the forests’ resilience. In order to fundraise the money, I will sell wristbands. The wristbands will have some sort of text such as “You planted a tree!” and I plan to use a company such as 24hourwristbands to buy them. My capstone project also includes volunteering to help at parks, specifically Colt Park. My mentor Donna is the president of Friends at Colt Park and has already given me a date to volunteer. On October 3rd, I and some of my peers will volunteer to help Donna with the Colt Park Grand Reopening Celebration. She has asked us to help manage the “All Ages Games” from 2 to 4 P.M. Along with this event, I will continue to work with Donna to help volunteer at future events.
My research question is “What environmental issues do urban areas face and how can planting trees act as a solution?” This question is connected to my project because the answer explains the importance of planting trees, specifically in my community: Hartford. One environmental issue is air pollution, which is a very common issue among urban communities because of several reasons, including the high amount of transportation by private vehicles and the gases and chemicals being released into the air by factories. Another environmental issue that urban communities face is the heat island effect, which raises the temperature of the urban area significantly compared to surrounding rural areas because of human activities. Planting trees is just one of the many solutions that can help solve these environmental issues, but it is also one of the simplest. My research will help to drive my project because through learning how impactful and beneficial planting trees can be, I realize how impactful and beneficial a simple act of volunteering in my community can be. Artifacts that I plan on collecting as evidence that I carried out my project are photos or videos of me planting trees and emails that prove that I volunteered.
As I have said before, my mentor is Donna Swarr, the president of Friends at Colt Park. She is qualified to be my mentor because she has experience in working with Parks and Recreation. Also, along with her experience comes her network and list of contacts that she can provide me with to help me and move my project forward. Her email is [email protected]. I predict that the area where I will grow and that will be my learning stretch will be independence. For my whole life, I have always relied on my parents to do things for me. They schedule my doctor appointments, they wash my laundry, and sometimes they even pick what clothes I wear. Because I am now becoming an adult, graduating, and moving onto a new stage in my life, I will have to become more independent. This doesn’t mean that I won’t receive help from my parents, but it means that I will take charge. The person in charge of my capstone project is me, and the person that will move my project forward is me, and the person that will complete my project is me. This is how I will grow more independent and this is how I will become prepared for my future. The part of my project that will push me is the actual completion of my project. I sometimes struggle with commitment in my projects. A lot of the time I would start a new project that I am excited about, but I would never continue to work on it and finish it. The completion of my project will push me because it will force me to work hard and stay dedicated since I am the one in charge. Capstone is a challenge that is both scary and exciting for me, but I am up for it either way and I know I will pass it.
Sincerely,
Santiago Gonzalez