Parker Stewart, 15 years old, studies at the Sayre School in Kentucky, US. After doing some independent environmental studies, Parker wanted to make a difference in his community to help the environment.

    He started to work really hard last year to bring solar (太阳的) energy to his school's science labs. Thirty solar panels (电板) are going to be used in late November.

It started when Parker began researching solar energy. He found a solar power app. When he put in an exact address in it, it would tell him how much sunlight that area receives each day. He found that his school building receives a perfect amount (数量) of sunlight, which provided help for finding a good place to install (安装) solar panels for science labs.

    At his science teacher's suggestion, Parker performed an energy examination of one of the school's science labs to see how much energy it uses. He then started doing more research, including communicating with a local company called Synergy Home to install solar panels.

    Parker then went to the headmaster of his school to ask for money after explaining the upsides of solar power. The school used the money to buy one panel, but since then, the project has grown to a total of 30 panels. They're expected to produce enough energy to run all of the four science labs.

    Debbie Wheeler, his science teacher, said the success of the project was because of Parker's hard work. He did all of the research necessary to make clear of whether solar energy would be a suitable solution for the school's labs, as well as found out the number of the cost and good results for the project.

    Others just talk about improving the environment "but Parker had the persistence to make it happen," she added.

    When you make a mistake, big or small, cherish(珍惜) it like it's the most valuable thing in the world. Because in some ways, it is.

    Most of us feel bad when we make mistakes, beat ourselves up about it, feel like failures, get mad at ourselves.

    And that's only natural: most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad, that we should try to avoid mistakes. We've been blamed when we make mistakes at home, school and work. Maybe not always, but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious(无意识的) reaction.

    Yet without mistakes, we could not learn or grow. If you think about it that way, mistakes should be cherished and celebrated for being one of the most amazing things in the world: they make learning possible; they make growth and improvement possible.

    By trial and error—trying things, making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes—we have figured out how to make electric light, to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to fly.

    Mistakes make walking possible for the smallest toddler, make speech possible, make works of talent possible.

    Think about how we learn: we don't just consume information about something and immediately know it or know how to do it. You don't just read about painting, or writing, or computer programming, or baking, or playing the piano, and know how to do them right away. Instead, you get information about something, from reading or from another person or from observing, then you make mistakes and repeat, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, until you've pretty much learned how to do something. That's how we learn as babies and toddlers, and how we learn as adults. Mistakes are how we learn to do something new—because if you succeed at something, it's probably something you already knew how to do. You haven't really grown much from that success—at most it's the last step on your journey, not the whole journey. Most of the journey was made up of mistakes, if it's a good journey.

    So if you value learning, if you value growing and improving, then you should value mistakes. They are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible.

    Lots of people are afraid of speaking in public. According to a study, there are 3 of every 4 people having such a problem. The conclusion is a bit surprising and worrying, as most jobs require some speaking ability. The following will help you to make a speech better.

    Write note cards. Write main ideas on your cards. You needn't write details. Just put in some fun facts, questions, and other activities on the cards to share with the class. You needn't look at your cards for a long time while speaking. Only have a quick look at the card for information instead of reading every last word if necessary.

    Smile at your class. When it's time to speak, a good old-fashioned smile is the best to draw your class into your speech. Be happy, because you're about to teach your class something they don't know before. Studies have shown that smiles are infectious. That means once you smile, it's hard for everyone else not to smile. So if you want your speech to go off well, smile. That will make everyone smile and maybe those smiles will make you actually smile.

    Make eyes contact. It's so boring to listen to a speaker who looks at the floor or at note cards. Relax. Your class is made up of your friends and you talk to them all the time. Talk the same way now. Have a look at every person in the classroom at least once. That way, everyone will feel like you're communicating with them. Also, you'll look like you know what you are talking about.

    Use hand motions. Move you hand along as you talk, using them to express your key points and keep the class interested. It will also lead your nervous energy into a better place.