Left to Right: Faith Diamanti and Olivia Moritz
Picture Credit: ALCS StaffSilver City, NM: Olivia Moritz and Faith Diamanti have been named by the New Mexico Community Foundation as the 2017 recipients of the Aldo Leopold Charter School's Ella, Michael and Ella Memorial Scholarship.

The Ella, Michael, Ella Memorial Scholarship was established in loving honor and memory of the Aldo Leopold Charter School students Ella Kirk, Michael Mahl and Ella Myers who lost their lives in a small airplane accident in May of 2014. Their dedication to environmental studies, music and the arts, and their level of community involvement and civic engagement, serves as an inspiration to all.

Olivia Moritz will be attending Western Washington University this fall, following graduating from ALCS in May. She is planning to pursue a degree in Environmental Science and Elementary Education, along with a minor in Spanish. While at Aldo, Olivia has been an active member of the Youth Conservation Corps "Eco-Monitors" crew, and acted as crew leader this year. Additionally, Olivia has interned at La Clinica, and is interested in possibly pursuing training in Midwifery at a future time.

Faith Diamanti plans to attend Western New Mexico University for her first year of college, and then transfer to New Mexico State University in Las Cruces to pursue a degree in Genetic Engineering. Faith's internships while attending ALCS have included working with the YCC Garden crew, acting as crew leader during her final semester, and working with a WNMU professor on a genetic research project

This Memorial Scholarship Fund helps to continue to keep Ella, Michael and Ella in all our hearts and minds by providing other Aldo Leopold Charter School students the opportunity to reach their own potential in the manner we so admired in each of these three students.

The mission of the Ella, Michael, Ella Memorial Scholarship is to inspire young people to follow their passion for the environment, the arts, music and community involvement and to support them as they begin their post-secondary studies

The New Mexico Community Foundation is the entity that manages the Scholarship Fund and the selection process. Awards are made each year. To be eligible for the Scholarship students must have a 3.0 grade average or higher, be a graduating senior from Aldo Leopold High School the year that the scholarship is gifted and have plans to enroll in full time accredited program. To help support this scholarship, donations can be made to the fund directly to the Foundation or to Aldo Leopold Charter School.

Aldo Leopold Charter School is a tuition free public charter school that provides an engaging and challenging educational program for grades 6 through 12 emphasizing direct experience, inquiry learning, stimulation of the creative process, and stewardship of our community and natural environment.