News: Briar Woods Junior Alcantara Named 2012 Student Chair of Earth Day at Loudoun Family Festival

(April 10, 2012) - Jed Alcantara, a junior from Briar Woods High School, has been selected as the 2012 Student Chair for the Earth Day at Loudoun Family Festival on Sunday, April 22.

The mission of the Earth Day at Loudoun Family Festival is to promote and celebrate environmental stewardship among county residents and businesses. This is accomplished through educational exhibits, workshops, activities and entertainment.


The role and responsibilities of the student chair include the following:
• Participation in festival planning to coordinate Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) student involvement;
• Expansion of LCPS student contributions to the festival through inclusion of student groups that focus on environmental concerns, helping with finding volunteers for the event and performing a survey during the event to measure its success;
• The student chair also will present a short speech focused on the importance of sustainable living during the recognition ceremony portion of the festival.

Alcantara has a grade point average (GPA) of 4.16. He outlined his reasons for wanting to be the student chair in an application essay: “My experiences with volunteering at the Broadlands Nature Center and working with Wildlife Habitats Committee have helped me appreciate my environment and have led me to a greater awareness for the care of our planet.”

Briar Woods Cross Country Coach Eric Callender provided a recommendation for the student chair honor. “Jed has always worked extremely hard at everything that he has dedicated his time towards. He has also gone out of his way to help others around him improve themselves too.”

The Earth Day at Loudoun Family Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 22, at Willow Creek Farm, 42920 Broadlands Blvd., Ashburn.