When Land O’ Lakes resident Maddy Smith was asked to serve on a special panel for Sea Life Orlando, a new aquarium, it gave her an opportunity to share her thoughts on marine education and conservation.
The second-grader also is taking part in events leading up to the aquarium’s May 4 opening.
(Courtesy of Jessica Smith)
She just has to be sure nothing conflicts with her bedtime at 8 p.m.
Maddy attends Imagine School Land O’ Lakes, a Pasco County charter school for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.
She is one of just six children selected to the aquarium’s Young Environmentalists Panel. Before the aquarium opens, she’ll oversee the habitats’ progress and will watch the animals get accustomed to their new home.
She’ll also be on hand as a VIP for the grand opening.
“She was completely in shock and excited,” her mother, Jessica Smith, said in describing how Maddy reacted when she learned she had been selected. “She felt really special.”
The honor wasn’t a random selection.
Maddy had to earn her way onto the panel.
To qualify, children had to submit an essay or video talking about their interest in conservation and the environment.
The seven-year-old made a video discussing Florida’s marine animals, and she shared her enthusiasm for a fishing class she takes at her church.
“Last Saturday, I caught and released three freshwater fish!” Maddy said in the one-minute video. “Kids can do a lot to help our environment when we learn about how to be safe around Florida’s wildlife.”
Some parents may take the lead and do a lot of the work on a child’s project, but that didn’t happen in this case.
Maddy’s mother made it clear that it was her daughter’s video from start to finish. She gave Maddy advice and helped her express her thoughts, but it was the young girl’s concept, topics and presentation that won the judges over.
“I do everything I can to help her, but I’m not going to do her work for her,” Smith said. “She has to own it.”
And when she owned it, she wasn’t even nervous about speaking into the camera.
“I just wanted to talk about my fishing and the environment,” Maddy said.
In addition to serving on the panel, Maddy enjoys her fishing classes and also plays piano. But her parents also make sure that she has time to relax and unwind and isn’t overwhelmed by too many activities.
“There’s probably two evenings during the whole week where she has stuff,” Smith said. “And then we try to make sure that she has enough unstructured time to read and play, because she’s a child.”
She’s also a child who enjoys science — her favorite class in school — and wants to keep learning.
Her mother credits Imagine School with giving Maddy the opportunity to expand her interests in a supportive environment.
“We love it. This is actually her first year at Imagine,” Smith said. “I think it’s excited her and inspired her. The teachers give her a lot of individual attention.”
And now that Maddy’s on the Young Environmentalists Panel, she can focus on teaching others about marine wildlife, as she stated in the video that got her the job.
“I want to help other kids learn about Florida’s water system and taking care of animals that live there,” she said, while being filmed.
Published March 4, 2015
