Olympic bronze medalist answers questions about climate change. photo by Macey Murray
Spartans had the opportunity to learn about ways to protect our world from the negative impacts of global warming.
On April 4th, 2017, an all-school assembly was called to discuss a trending subject that is gaining more support from all over the world. A growing company called Protect Our Winters (P.O.W.) is working with The North Face as well as Clif Bar and Company to help raise awareness of global warming. The assembly was put on by P.O.W. as well as Olympic bronze medalist snowboarder Alex Deibold to help inform students about what type of impact they have on our environment. As the percentage of carbon dioxide on Earth rises, our planet heats up, glaciers melt, and seasons blend together while winters become warmer. P.O.W. wants to help us understand that we need to take a stand and help protect the only earth we have.
The non-profit organization P.O.W. was founded by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones in 2007 as a way to help spread the word about global warming and its negative effects on our planet. They created a video that was shown during the assembly, talking to athletes who rely on the earth to enjoy the things that inspire them every day. Most of the sports offered at TJ take place outdoors, and without the good weather for the season, some of the student body wouldn’t be able to enjoy the things that inspire them either. Colorado has close to sixteen hikes that gain more than 14,000 ft. in elevation, six notable lakes, and miles upon miles of trails filled with wildlife; all of these things in our environment trust in us to protect Earth. Throughout the assembly, Spartans were informed, encouraged, and inspired to protect these incredible things. Member of P.O.W. Jake Black commented, “Problems are going to affect your generation and generations to come,” showing why it is so important to do assemblies like the one at TJ.
The student body had the privilege to hear from Diebold, speaking on behalf of P.O.W. as a fellow Colorado citizen to share his personal experiences. Deibold is a snowboarder from Manchester, VT, but now lives in Boulder, CO, and took some time to head down to TJ to help spread the word about protecting our earth. He won a bronze medal in the Snowboard Cross at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Overall, the assembly was a success, leaving the students excited and curious about what it is like to be a bronze medalist as well as what they can do to help contribute to P.O.W.. “Being able to hear from an Olympic bronze medalist was really inspiring and a great opportunity,” said sophomore Jacob Burns. Diebold, The North Face, P.O.W., and Clif Bar and Company gave back to the community by taking their time to help shine a light on global warming and how we can help our planet.
