Raising money for (and assisting in) obstetric surgery in Zambia, Africa. Founding a music program for kindergarteners and first graders that holds concerts on a regular basis, including one for former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Creating a film on childhood obesity that is used to kick off First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" campaign. Organizing an art auction featuring nationwide artists to fight for clean air in a community affected by pollution from a nearby metal refinery. Though these may sound like the endeavors of large philanthropic organizations, they are the accomplishments of young people throughout the U.S. who have yet to even earn their high school diplomas!
Rivermont Collegiate is extremely proud to be represented in a select group of students profiled in the Spring, 2012 issue of Independent School magazine, published by the National Association of Independent Schools. Students from twelve schools were selected to represent the thousands of "Changemakers" in independent schools nationwide and profiled in the issue. Pavane Gorrepati, a senior at Rivermont Collegiate in Bettendorf and daughter of Dr. Krishna and Pramilarani Gorrepati of Davenport, is profiled as a "Student Changemaker" - described in the article as those "young people who refuse the narrow label of student. Of course, they take care of schoolwork, but they also look outside of themselves and see a world full of need - and they want to help."
Pavane, who intends to devote her life to the study of alternative energy, is the recipient of numerous top titles at regional, state, and national science fairs. Pavane spent last summer in Changsha, China on a Borlaug-Ruan International Internship researching ways to grow rice suited to thrive in warmer climates with less water than traditional rice-growing regions. Pavane is founder and president of the Rivermont Environmental Club and author of A Buzzie Bee Tale, a children's book about a bee and its efforts to help family and friends whose environment has been affected by climate change. "I've been very active with the environment and inspiring kids to be a part of it, and I felt that the only way to make a difference in the future is to educate the youth," she said.
Rivermont is excited that one of our students is recognized in such an elite group and, of course, most definitely proud of Pavane's many accomplishments. Other Changemakers include students from Catlin Gabel School in Oregon, Marlborough School, Menlo School, Sage Hill School, Wildwood School, and Lick-Wilmerding High School in California, Lowell School in Washington, DC, Albuquerque Academy in New Mexica, Punahou School in Hawaii, and Gulf Stream School and Saint Andrew's School in Florida.
Independent School, published four times a year by the National Association of Independent Schools, is an open forum exchange of information about elementary and secondary education in general and independent schools in particular. With an objective to provide informative, thought-provoking articles focused on key themes in education, Independent School has been the premier publication in private education for over sixty years and was named 2011 Periodical of the Year by the Association of Educational Publishers (AEP).
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