Three Hawken students named `Young Heroes`

Hawken students Evin McMullen, Angela Primbas and Aaron Kohn have been named winners of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. The Barron Prize, a national award based in Boulder, Colorado, honors outstanding young leaders from across the U.S. who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Evin and Angela, along with classmate Amanda Weatherhead, co-founded Save Our Stream, a group that educates the public about the threatened native Ohio brook trout and works to preserve its habitat. As seventh graders, the girls began wondering if pollution was affecting the streams in their backyards. After testing the water quality and analyzing historical data, they found out that pollution was a problem - and the cause of the dwindling Ohio brook trout population. The girls began spreading the word of the threatened "brookies," and educating others about how to help save them. Three years later, Save Our Stream has designed eleven educational trail signs at two local parks, written a book on the native brook trout, created curriculum modules for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and made presentations to more than 3,000 students and teachers. The girls have received over $35,000 in grants to support their efforts, including ways to help homeowners understand how their behavior impacts the health of the local watershed. They have placed stickers on neighborhood storm drains, organized river restoration projects, and designed a pamphlet for residents about creating riparian buffers on their properties. "Through this project, I`ve discovered the incredible power of the individual," says Evin. "I`ve realized I can improve the future of our environment," adds Angela. Evin and Angela are two of 10 winners who represent great diversity from all across the country. Winners each receive $2,000 to be applied to their higher education or to their service project. Aaron Kohn, age 15, of Shaker Heights, Ohio, is one of fifteen youth recognized nationally in the Barron Prize Honor Roll of Heroes. Aaron has launched an initiative to raise awareness of the plight of the San Bushmen tribe from the Kalahari Desert, part of one of the oldest cultures in the world. Aaron became aware of the San Bushmen crisis after a classroom viewing of the film "The Gods Must be Crazy," which portrays the San Bushmen as living a carefree lifestyle. Aaron learned that in fact the San people are suffering from human rights abuses and their native lands are being taken from them. Aaron has convened two conferences to educate people about the San Bushmen tribe, and has raised nearly $6,000 for the Kalahari People`s Fund. He is currently developing a curriculum to teach fourth graders the truth about the San people. The Barron Prize is an annual award founded in 2001 by author T.A. Barron and was named for his mother, Gloria Barron. Half of the winners have focused on helping their communities and fellow human beings; half have focused on protecting the health and sustainability of the environment. "Nothing is more inspiring than stories about heroic people who have truly made a difference to the world," says Barron. "And we need our heroes today more than ever. Not celebrities, but heroes - people whose character can inspire us all. That is the purpose of the Gloria Barron Prize: to share positive examples of heroism with as many young people as possible." More information on the award can be found at www.barronprize.org.