It’s common for people to spend less time outside as they grow older, with outdoor recesses and science projects turning into indoor study halls and lectures, but junior Heidi Nance is passionate about connecting with nature and won’t let a busy schedule get in the way of that. In fact, she is even building parts of her schedule around her love of nature, becoming a co-president of Green Team and taking care of many pets.
“I’ve loved to be outside since I was little,” Nance said. “I’ve grown up in a suburb my whole life. It’s not like I live in a place where [nature] is super accessible, but you can make it accessible.”
Nance makes nature accessible in her own life by owning a variety of pets, some being more exotic than others.
“I have two dogs, an itty bitty colony of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, and I just had Luna Moths,” Nance said. “And then everything I find outside on the ground is my pet too.”
Nance’s colony of Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches started with two original cockroaches, which were gifted to her by science teacher Richard Knowles after she expressed an interest in learning more about them.
“They don’t carry any diseases, and they can’t really bite at all. Their best defense is hissing, which is not that scary,” Nance said. “They’re not very good at defending themselves, which makes them great pets.”
This year, Nance will bring her love of nature to the Green Team. At the club fair, she showed off one of Knowles’ snakes at the Green Team table while speaking to prospective members about the club’s plans for the year.
“One of our biggest goals is to not only get involved with stuff that’s already going on here, but also to create some new events,” Nance said. “We went to the zoo for the first time last year, and we really liked that.”
Nance will lead the Green Team alongside co-presidents Becca Houlehan and Summer Bannigan. The club was previously led by alumna Ellie Riggs, who graduated this past May.
“Ellie’s are very hard shoes to fill, because she was wonderful,” Nance said. “I loved having Ellie as a leader because she was really sweet and welcoming and a really wonderful person.”
The Green Team is known for its annual Sustainable Fashion Show, but Nance said she wants the Green Team to help make many more Sion events more eco-friendly.
“I think [sustainability] is really important, because I think it’s something that can get overlooked in event planning,” Nance said. “Of course, every school will say that they value sustainability, but how are you going to show it? I think that’s going to partially be on us this year, so I’m excited.”
Nance says her interest in nature comes from just being outside and connecting with nature, which started at a young age for her, and she encourages others to do the same.
“I think everybody should go outside and just sit out there for a little bit and see what you can see,” Nance said. “You can see a lot more than you think you’ll be able to.”
