Best of Florida Schools 2005
General Categories—Page 7

Best Nature Club
NATURE Cleans and Educates
They picked up 70 pounds of trash under the scorching summer sun and raised funds for their favorite causes, but they still weren’t satisfied. So this year, Nova Southeastern University’s Adventure Toward Understanding and Researching Earth club is hosting annual “Teach-In” events, in which students learn more about environmental and animal ethics.

Since fall 2004, NATURE has hosted two teach-ins with NSU professors and speakers from the Wildlife Care Center. On both occasions, students stayed after the lectures to debate animal ethics and the morality of animal testing. “Many students have different views on issues that impact the Earth and animal kingdom,” says Shelly Haines, NATURE’s former president. “Without open dialogue, we miss the opportunity to learn how and why others feel the way they do.”

NATURE also educates through films. Last November, the club held different movie nights featuring Peaceable Kingdom and Lolita: Slave to Entertainment, a documentary about Lolita, a killer whale at the Miami Seaquarium. Valerie Silidker, co-producer of Lolita, was a guest speaker for one of the shows.

“Valerie revealed the truth behind animals used for entertainment, specifically marine mammals used in parks,” Haines says. “She opened the evening by asking the audience to imagine they were on an island where people from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds are placed in cages. This was a splendid analogy and sparked critical thinking as students realized it was wrong.”

Last fall, NATURE took a political turn in their events during the presidential election. Members established several voter registration drives and were active in contacting state and national officials to voice their opinions on legislation affecting animals.

NATURE’s volunteer projects reflect the passion of its members. This school year, members chose WCC as their philanthropy. Among their programs to help WCC, members organized a fundraiser-benefit party at a local nightclub and a “Team Task” volunteer project, which consists of five members volunteering at the shelter once a month.

Last year, members participated in two coastal clean-ups along with other organizations, including the National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation. They removed trash and potentially dangerous items from John U. Lloyd State Park and the North Beach Park in Hollywood. “Both beaches are close to our hearts since we live in the area, and the university’s Oceanographic Center is based in one of the parks,” Haines says.—MAC

Contact Haines at shellyhaines@hotmail.com.

Best SIFE Group
Tiny SIFE Wins Big
This year, Flagler College’s Students in Free Enterprise proved that you don’t have to be Michael Jordan to make it onto a cereal box.

Each year, more than 856 schools compete to make it to the SIFE USA National Championship. This year, the Flagler team had their work cut out for them. Coming from a school with about 2,000 students, their team consisted of only 19 members. The competition: schools with total enrollments of more than 30,000 and teams with 100 members. But whoever said that size matters never met this group.

All of the competitors felt the heat as they presented their projects to the CEOs, CFOs, and presidents of top corporations like Wal-Mart, General Electric, and Radio Shack. Teams gave visual presentations of projects and goals they had accomplished throughout the year. Flagler’s biggest accomplishment: hitting the million-dollar mark for sales at SIFE’s retail store, Flagler’s Legacy.

At the end of the day, Flagler beat out the competition—but that wasn’t all. The team proudly boasted its victory across the country when members’ faces were featured on boxes of Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Eggos, and Rice Krispies.

“It really shows you that anything’s possible if you set goals and work toward them,” says Amy Waers, SIFE’s co-president.

But they didn’t stop there. Flagler’s SIFE won their way to Spain where they spent 12 days competing against students from 37 countries at the SIFE World Cup. The tiny team took on the world’s best and came in second place. According to Jessica Minch, SIFE’s co-president, their win wasn’t the only reward.

“It was just amazing being able to travel to another country representing the United States and hearing Flagler College and the United States in the same sentence,” Minch says. “We felt a strong sense of team spirit and a sense of accomplishment.”

The team is already at it again preparing for this year’s competition. The fight for the title begins in April in Orlando. From there, the team hopes to work its way to Toronto where the SIFE World Cup will be held. —MM

Contact Minch at jminch@flagler.edu.

Best Food Drive
Turkey—It’s What’s for Dinner
On Nov. 20, residents of Volusia County found gift certificates for Butterball turkeys and cans of green beans replacing their daily newspaper’s spot on their doorsteps. The culprits: Daytona Beach Community College students.

Starting at 8 a.m., these turkey bandits delivered 271 laundry baskets, each brimming to the top with an entire Thanksgiving meal for a needy family. The best part of the plan was that the families were clueless. “It’s a really big surprise for them,” says Jacob Romo, Student Government Association president. “The faces that they have are really incredible, and they’re really thankful.”

The planning for this event began more than two months before Thanksgiving. Boxes were placed throughout the school to collect non-perishable items. However, Romo says he was surprised to see that alongside the cans of green beans and corn were coupons for turkeys, candy, toys, and even DVDs. The outpouring of help from the entire school was amazing, he says. “Our student community, faculty, and staff really care about our society, and they support this event,” Romo says.

More than 40 student volunteers helped pull off the surprise. Guidance counselors from Volusia and Flagler county school districts helped to compile a list of families who would benefit the most from the Thanksgiving baskets.

Once all the items were collected, the students sorted through the donations and filled laundry baskets with enough food to make a hearty Thanksgiving meal. The next day, students took turns lugging the baskets throughout Volusia County. The process had to be quick: knock on the door, say ‘Happy Thanksgiving,’ attempt to explain, quickly run back to the car, and jet over to the next family.

While the event was rushed, Romo says it was an astounding experience. “We did a lot of work, but the experience is really great to see these people,” he says. “They’re going to be having a Thanksgiving dinner!” —JW

Contact Romo at romoj@dbcc.edu.

Best Pen Pal Campaign
Why Can't We be Friends?
You don't have to be a top government official to contact an American soldier in Iraq. At North Florida Community College, students can contact soldiers just by writing a letter.

The school's pen pal campaign is the brainchild of Marta Morabito, the mother of NFCC's women's fastpitch-softball coach, Joe Morabito. The program's letters went to Morabito's other son, a soldier formerly stationed in Iraq. "They made him feel really good," she says.

She decided to expand correspondence to include other soldiers. With the help of Kelly Renfroe, NFCC's Student Government Association president, Morabito addressed and stamped envelopes, compiled a list of soldiers, provided a drop box where students can deposit their letters, and posted flyers around campus.

The bulk of the letters encourage the soldiers and thank them for their services, though some comment on current events. Renfroe says the troops often write about the scorching weather. "It's so hot," some of the soldiers wrote. Continued correspondence sometimes compelled students to send care packages overseas.

Though the majority of letters came from the Inter-Club Council, anyone can become a pen pal for a soldier, says Bobby Scott, coordinator of student activities. "This is open to everyone," he says. Morabito says that a local eighth grade class has taken part as well.

Renfroe is proud of the project. "It's been an eye-opening experience," she says. "You don't realize what they go through over there. They try to keep the peace." —LH

Contact Coordinator of Student Activities Bobby Scott at scottb@nfcc.edu.

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