COMMUNITY

Mother Earth, city have an ally in Chandler boy

BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

Chandler resident Robert Nark walked out to collect his trash and recycling bins after the collection truck came. He found a handwritten note stuck on a bin.

“Good job!”

There’s no mystery who wrote it. Tenyear-old neighbor Cal Shropshire has earned the nickname “Recy-CAL” in the San Marcos County Club Estates neighborhood because of his passion for recycling.

Nark said Cal rides his scooter through the neighborhood on collection days, checking everyone’s bins. He makes sure there are no recyclable materials in the trash bins – and the other way around. If he finds something that doesn’t belong, he has no problem knocking on a door to point it out in a friendly manner or to leave a pleasant reminder.

“I don’t do it regularly but a couple of times I’ve done it when there’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t belong in the can,” said Cal, who is a fourth grader at Knox Gifted Academy.

Cal’s mother, Christine Shropshire, said most neighbors have been very supportive of her son’s passion for recycling and only a couple have objected.

“They told him, or have told us, 'please don’t let him touch our cans,'” Christine said. “For the most part everyone is super supportive and doesn’t mind him checking their cans.”

Once a neighbor objects, then Cal steers clear of their trash bins.

The boy’s passion started just as schools were shut down by the pandem-

At age 10, Cal Shropshire is already doing his part to protect Mother Earth and make sure that Chandler residents follow the city rules on recycling. (David Minton/Staff Photographer) seeRECYCLE page 25

Chandler residents in running for Flinn Scholarship

BY KEN SAIN Staff Writer

Chandler was well represented in the competition for the prestigious Flinn Scholarship when the top candidates for 2022 were recently announced.

Nine students who live in Chandler qualified among 80 semifinalists and five advanced to the 39 finalists.

A Flinn Scholarship is valued at more than $120,000 and covers tuition, fees, housing and meals at one of the state’s three public universities. It also includes two stints studying abroad and connects scholars to a wide number of experts in a number of fields fo study. About half of the finalists, 20 of the 39, will be awarded the Flinn Scholarship, which was started in 1986 by the Flinn Foundation.

The nine Chandler residents who earned semifinalist recognition are

Moira MacCatherine Loralei Cook Kayla King Isaac Kan

Anokh Ambadipudi of Basha High School; Loralei Cook of Arizona Connections Academy; Isaac Kan of Desert Vista High School; Kayla King of Chandler High School; Simone Cawthorne King of Chandler High School; Moira MacCatherine of Perry High School; Sebastian Pastrana of Chandler Preparatory Academy; Shruti Ramkuma of Hamilton High School; and Audrey Ann Wood of Seton Catholic High School. Some of the semifinalists removed themselves from consideration because they were awarded other scholarships. The Flinn Scholarships are only good at Arizona’s three state universities. The five from Chandler on the list include Basha High’s Ambadipudi; Arizona Connections’ Cook; Desert Vista’s Kan; Chandler High’s Kayla King; and Perry High’s MacCatherine.

The Flinn Foundation says it plans to announce its Class of 2022 scholars April.

Here’s some more information on some of the Chandler finalists:

Loralei Cook, Arizona Connections Academy: Loralei says she knows what

ic in spring 2020.

Cal said he was stuck at home and decided he needed a hobby.

“I decided I had to do something, like get a hobby because it was boring to just sit around and like play games all day,” Cal said.

He heard a trash collecting truck and got curious. He decided to follow it around, watching how they collect trash. That led to his interest in recycling and how they separate the two.

Now, the workers who collect trash and recycling in his neighborhood know him so well they gave him a gift: a Waste Management hat, sun screen, lip balm, and safety vest.

Christine appreciated the vest, which helps keep him safe when he’s checking bins after sunset. He’s also made up hand-drawn flyers to help educate his neighbors on what can be recycled and what cannot.

Cal said he’s not intimidated to knock on a neighbor’s door and talk to them about their recycling because he’s received so much support.

“I’m able to go and do that because I know I’m doing the right thing,” Cal said.

Cal said recycling became a passion as he learned about the threat climate change represents to the planet and the need for everyone to do what they could to save it.

It led him to research how other communities around the world do their recycling. Germany leads the world with One of his neighbors created a T-shirt with a photo of Cal on his scooter and the words,

“Reduce, Reuse & Recy-CAL.” (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

more than 56% of its waste being recycled. The Germans are followed by Austria (53.8%), South Korea (53.7%), Wales (52.2%) and Switzerland (49.7%). The Environmental Protection Agency says the U.S. recycles about 32% of its waste. Chandler recycles less than that at about 20%, according to Traci Conaway, the city’s recycling coordinator.

Cal hopes to improve on that. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. One of his neighbors created a T-shirt with a photo of Cal on his scooter and the words, “Reduce, Reuse & Recy-CAL.”

Conaway said one of the biggest issues the city faces now is people are putting a lot of non-recyclable items in the recycling bin. She said those items end up at the landfill and cost the city more since they get processed twice.

So, a big part of their program is to educate people about what can be recycled, and what cannot – similar to what Cal is doing.

Nark, the neighbor who earned the sticky note with the words "good job," said he was so impressed he knocked on Cal’s door and gave him $20 for his efforts.

Cal said he’s not doing this for money.

“It’s really nice of them,” Cal said. “I’ve never asked for money before … that’s a way I know that they encourage me.”

Cal said discovering his passion for recycling has influenced where he wants to go as a career. “When I grow up, I definitely want to be someone who does something about the way our planet is heading,” Cal said. “Help it go in a better direction instead of going like global warming, deforestation stuff, I want it to be able to go in a better direction that has a healthy, happy planet and good environment.”

Recycling myths

The City of Chandler has a myth vs. fact webpage to help residents recycle. Visit chandleraz.gov/residents/recycling-and-trash/recycling/common-recycling-myths.

FLINN from page 24

the keys were to her becoming a Flinn finalist.

“I believe a combination of my involvement within the community and my personal character was key to becoming a finalist,” she wrote in an email. “Throughout high school, I advocated for a community-based approach to progress and innovation through open communication, organizing, and networking — something that I think helped me in the Flinn Scholarship process.”

Loralei is a member of numerous social and political advocacy groups (most recently named a U.S. Senate Youth Program Delegate for Arizona). She has assisted with social sciences research at Arizona State University and the Arizona Advocacy Foundation Representative of Student Council at her school. Isaac Kan, Desert Vista High School: Isaac is a member of the Arizona Governor’s Youth Commission and sits on the Student Advisory Council for the Arizona Department of Education.

Isaac says he plans to become a biomedical engineer. He’s applied to attend Stanford and Arizona State University’s Barrett Honors College. He has taken 11 advance placement courses. He plays piano and chess and is also building his own computer.

“I was super excited when I got the news, as can be expected,” he wrote. “I remember the first thing I did was tell my parents, then feeling both excited and a little scared of the interview process moving onwards.” Kayla King, Chandler High School: King has a 4.79 grade point average. In addition to her studies, she is involved in theater, dance, piano, and likes to play golf.

She said her passion is theater, and she is helping to mentor children in that field. She is a candidate for an International Baccalaureate diploma.

“I volunteer whenever I can, and some of my favorite opportunities have been teen court (a jury of peers aimed at restorative justice) and Access News, where I record myself reading news or magazines for people who are visually impaired,” Kayla wrote.

Moira MacCatherine, Perry High School: The Perry High senior wants to be a nurse and is already gaining experience in that field. She volunteers at Banner Desert Medical Center and Shea Scottsdale Medical Center.

Moira is president of the National Honor Society and Perry Women in STEM club. She said she believes her leadership experience and service to the community helped her be selected at a Flinn finalist.

“As an aspiring nurse, I impact my community by assisting patients and visitors during their stays in the hospital,” Moira said. “It can be a very scary time for both the patient and the loved ones, so having a volunteer to help them or listen to their worries makes the process a little easier.”