Page 4 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, June 26, 2020 ~ Letter to the Editor ~ United Parish Food Pantry thanks residents for successful food drive Dear Editor: The United Parish Food Pantry sends a big thank you to Saugus residents for their support and donations at the second town wide food drive held on Saturday, June 20 to benefi t the Saugus United Parish Food Pantry and the Saugus Senior Center and thank you to the Saugus Board of Selectmen for organizing the food drive. Special thanks to State Rep. Donald Wong, Selectmen Jeff Cicolini, Debra Panetta and Corinne Riley and Lori and Glen Davis and Jeff Hirtle for helping at the food drive. HAPPY HELPERS: A few of the participants at last weekend’s town-sponsored food drive. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) We were truly overwhelmed at the show of support. Thank you all! Sincerely, Saugus United Parish Food Pantry Sophia Ponte named recipient of SAVE 2020 Environmental Scholarship S augus Action Volunteers for the Environment (SAVE) reFacebook.com/ advocate.news.ma cently announced Sophia Ponte as the winner of the 2020 SAVE Environmental Scholarship. Sophia, the daughter of Lucia and Louis Ponte of Saugus, will be graduating in August from Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School in Danvers. In the fall, she plans to pursue a marine engineering major at Massachusetts Maritime Academy with emphasis in the fi elds of sea environment protection, pollution decreasing and waste management and future ocean sustainability. Her goal is to help develop new marine technologies to reduce environmental impacts, to reduce our environmental footprint on the oceans and to fi nd more en505 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Tel: 617-387-1120 www.gkdental.com • Family Dentistry • Crowns • Bridges • Veneers/Lumineers • Dental Implants • All on 4 Dental Implants • Emergency Dentist • Kid Friendly Dentist • Root Canals • Dentures • Invisalign Braces • Snap On Smile • Teeth Whitening We are the smile care experts for your entire family vironmentally effi cient ways to solve existing and future problems aff ecting our oceans. “We believe that Sophia embodies SAVE’s environmental concerns and goals and we are happy to recognize her achievements and ambitions,” said SAVE President Ann Devlin said. Sophia was an honor roll student at her high school with a 4.5 GPA. She was a captain of the girl’s cross-country team. Her extracurricular activities included the Cultural Awareness Club, the Environmental Action Club and the Environmental Advisory Board. She has worked with Saugus Youth and Rec as a tutor and also with Mass Audubon monitoring the growth of the common reed in salt marshes. “For most people, the future In House Dental Plan for $399 (Cleanings, X-Rays, Exams twice a year and 20% OFF Dental work) Schedule your FREE Consultations today is uncertain and the direction their life is going is not spelled out for them yet,” wrote Sophia in her essay to SAVE. “Personally, I have been given the opportunity to attend a four year technical high school that allowed med to fi nd my passion early on. Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School has given me the right set of circumstances to fi nd my passion in the Environmental Technology fi eld early in Life,” she wrote. “I have been studying this specifi c fi eld my entire high school career going through classes such as forest ecology, fi sheries and aquaculture, environmental impacts, coastal ecology, wastewater management and more. Going through this journey has allowed me to learn skill sets and certifications I wouldn’t have had otherwise.” In her essay, Sophia said she plans to use her college education at Massachusetts Maritime A CAREER TO CLEAN UP THE SEA: Sophia Ponte will head off to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy this fall with a goal to learn how to make cruise ships and other vessels more environmentally sound. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) Academy in pursuit of a career that will “help ensure vessel designs and development activities are steering towards a more environmentally friendly approach.” “It has been known that vessels and cruise ships leave an enormous environmental footprint on the ocean and by gaining this degree, I feel as though I will be able to reduce impacts and fi nd more environmentally effi cient ways to solve problems, operate vessels and manufacture and repair the ocean liners themselves.” “In fi ve years I can view myself traveling on a ship, making an environmental diff erence,” said Sophia. SAVE, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, awards a $500 scholarship annually to a town resident who is a member of that year’s high school graduating class. The award goes to a student who will be attending a two- to fouryear college or other educational institution while pursuing a degree in an area of study that would positively impact the environment.
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