Stoneham Teen Wins $2,500 Scholarship For Sustainability Work

STONEHAM, MA — A Stoneham teen was recently recognized with a scholarship from the organization Keep Massachusetts Beautiful.

Worth $2,500, the funding was marked to go to a Massachusetts high school senior pursuing a post-secondary degree or certificate in environmental studies or a related field, as noted in a recent press release.

The scholarship aimed to recognize a student who showed a commitment to environmental protection, environmental justice or community service, among other things.

Sean Riley, 18, of Stoneham fit the bill.

A graduate of Stoneham High School, Riley founded the school’s Green Club.

The Green Club went on to organize a poster campaign focused on climate change, food waste and recycling. It also hosted litter cleanups both last fall and in the spring of this year. Riley additionally partnered with the local group Keep Stoneham Beautiful to help them with Stoneham Town Clean Up and Earth Day celebrations, according to his scholarship announcement.

“Engaging our youth in projects to clean up and green up our town and expanding environmental education in our community is a key focus of Keep Stoneham Beautiful,” Keep Stoneham Beautiful Chapter Leader Jenny Lecoq said this week. “We are thrilled that Sean is the recipient of this award and very grateful to KMB for making this opportunity available.”

Riley thanked Keep Massachusetts Beautiful for its donation. He will now be studying environmental engineering at the University of Vermont.

Keep Massachusetts Beautiful is a statewide organization with more than 30 local affiliates across the state. The groups organize various sustainability and community cleanup programs in cities and towns throughout Massachusetts.