Blissfield student applying class work to board work, community service

ADRIAN — Andrew Mullins, a high school senior at the Jackson College/Lenawee Intermediate School District Middle College Academy, is using his knowledge from his natural resources program at the LISD Tech Center to serve his hometown.  

Mullins was appointed to the Blissfield Parks and Recreation Board last fall. The advisory board works to help provide safe, welcoming parks and recreation facilities as well as affordable recreation and cultural opportunities for people of all ages and abilities, a news release from the LISD said. 

“I’m learning a lot about public engagement and getting to work on issues that are interesting to me, like riverbank erosion and the water quality of the River Raisin,” Mullins said in the release. 

Mullins is a dedicated student and goes above and beyond to support community service efforts, Carley Kratz, LISD Tech Center natural resources instructor at the Center for a Sustainable Future campus, said in the release. He has helped to educate elementary and middle school students at science days, Project RED and the River Raisin Water Festival.  

“Young people are important stakeholders in the community. It’s great to have a student on the board and getting his ideas for the priorities that we’re working on,” Eric May, parks and recreation program coordinator for Blissfield, said in the release. 

Mullins also recently presented data on water quality monitoring with the River Raisin Watershed Council's Adopt-A-Stream program at its semiannual delegate meeting. 

“Andrew is one of the many exceptional students in our early/middle college program,” Kim Dusseau, JC/LISD Academy principal, said in the release. “This program allows young leaders like Andrew to thrive in a postsecondary learning environment while encouraging them to find opportunities to volunteer and serve in their community.” 

Through the JC/LISD Academy, Mullins has earned 45 college credits and his Michigan Transfer Agreement at no cost while completing his high school diploma requirements. Mullins also serves as the vice president of the AM FFA chapter at the Tech Center and will be studying fisheries and wildlife management at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie in the fall.