For the 25th year, the Narrow River Preservation Association (NRPA) has awarded scholarships to seniors graduating from high schools in the Narrow (Pettaquamscutt) River Watershed. The scholarship honors the late Lesa Meng, an NRPA Board member, whose husband, Rick Moffitt, established the scholarship fund, enabling NRPA to provide $1000.00 scholarships to seniors graduating from high schools located in the Narrow River watershed. The 2017 Lesa Meng/Narrow River Preservation Association scholarships were awarded to Rosalind Lucier and Kate DeBoer (South Kingstown High School), Wyndom Chace (North Kingstown High School) and Danielle Donadio (Narragansett High School).
Rosalind Lucier, of South Kingstown High School, will be attending Wellesley College in Wellesley, MA in the fall, where she plans to study biochemistry. She has been a top performer in her SKHS classes and was ranked number 1 in her class. Rosalind was awarded Excellence in AP Biology and Excellence in AP Physics, as well as the Baush and Lomb Honorary Science Award. She is a recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award. For her project, she created a children’s picture book, featuring Mark a talking quahog, who goes on adventures to educate the reader about the factors of climate change in Rhode Island.
Kate DeBoer is also a graduate of South Kingstown High School. Kate is planning on attending the University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI. She has been accepted into the 6-year pharmacy program (PharmD). Kate was also a past NRPA Science Fair winner for her work studying water quality. She has organized beach clean-ups at the Narragansett Town Beach. Kate has also earned the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award. Her project focused on encouraging children to eat healthier in order to improve their mental and physical health.
Wyndom Chace, graduated from North Kingstown with the highest ranking in her class and has chosen Williams College in Williamston, MA. She plans to pursue environmental science and chemistry. She was a member of the summer marine research team in the Biology Department at Salve Regina University. She has had an opportunity to present posters at two conferences detailing her work on sea level rise in North Kingstown and a second poster on changes in land use and vegetation in NK. She was a nominee for Save the Bay’s 2016 Walsh Award for Outstanding Environmental Advocacy. Wyndom is also quite an accomplished pianist.
Danielle Donadio, a graduate of Narragansett High School, plans to attend the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH, where she is considering majoring in wildlife biology and conservation. Danielle is an honor student, a varsity athlete and a talented musician. She is a member of the RI Philharmonic Youth Wind Ensemble. In addition, Danielle is also a Level I Rehabilitator and volunteer at the Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of RI. She helps with feeding and rehabilitation of animals ranging from turtles to opossum and seagulls.
