9-07-2021 2:28pm

DULANEY HIGH JUNIOR ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED

Hunt Valley Life Staff

FACE OF THE WEEK: AARON REN, GRADE 11 STUDENT, DULANEY HIGH SCHOOL

Joining with his friends to serve through The Arbor

Initiative

By TEAM BCPS SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2021

Team BCPS is made up of thousands of accomplished and interesting students, employees, and community supporters. “Face of the Week” introduces you to some of the people who make BCPS such an amazing mosaic of talent, caring, and commitment. To recommend someone for a Face of the Week profile, please email communications@bcps.org.

A WAY TO HELP AND CONTRIBUTE

When Aaron Ren, now a junior at Dulaney High was young, his father instilled in him the importance of reading. “The more I read, the more I enjoyed it,” Aaron says. “I love the stories and how you can get lost in a book.”

Aaron says that he still tries to read at least one book each week for pleasure.

One of his other major projects outside of school is The Arbor Initiative, which currently focuses on taking in book donations and distributing them to Kindergarten – Grade 8 students.

“The Arbor Initiative started in summer 2020,” Aaron explains. “We were all quarantined and seeing what was happening in our area and around the world. I wanted to find a way I could help and contribute.”

"We were all quarantined and seeing what was happening in our area and around the world." -Aaron Ren

Aaron stresses that this is not an individual project. The organization was founded by Aaron and his friends Kyle Kennedy, Maddie Mcginily, Erica Wang, and Michelle Wang, and it is supported by numerous volunteers. “Our mission is about providing sustainable resources to the less fortunate,” he says. “It was originally Michelle and Erica's idea to donate books to students. We began with books because they are easy to give, and, as students, all of us realize how important books are.”

The Arbor Initiative co-founders

Arbor Initiative logo

GETTING 5,000 BOOKS INTO THE HANDS OF STUDENTS

Since its founding in summer 2020, the Arbor Initiative has collected and distributed about 5,000 books.

“We collect books mostly from the Maryland Book Bank and The Book Thing in Baltimore, and also from small bookshops like Charlotte Elliott & The Bookstore Next Door and The Ivy Bookshop,” Aaron says. The group has also held book drives at Dulaney High and plans to do more this school year.

Aaron and the other group members email to request donations and then go pick them up and store them in his basement. After they check the books to be sure they are appropriate and in good condition, they reach out to schools in underserved communities to ask if they want the books. “They always say yes,” Aaron says.

So far, the books have all been distributed to schools in Baltimore City, but the Arbor Initiative is hoping to expand to also serve Baltimore County schools.

Donating books to Mary E. Rodman Elementary School

The Arbor Initiative making its first ever donation, to Harford Heights Elementary School

Arbor Initiatives at the Maryland Book Bank

FROM BALTIMORE COUNTY TO CHINA TO BALTIMORE COUNTY

Aaron has attended BCPS since Kindergarten. He attended Lutherville, Pinewood, and Mays Chapel elementary schools, making one of the transitions to a new school due to redistricting. He enjoyed the changes. “BCPS does a good job,” Aaron says. “The teachers are always really nice. What I enjoyed the most about changing schools was getting to know all the different people throughout the schools and seeing the different types of diversity.”

And then, when it was time to attend middle school, Aaron and his family moved to Beijing, China.

It was a challenging transition for Aaron, who knew just a little of the Chinese language. “There are so many differences between school in America and school in China,” Aaron says. “I was suddenly learning all in Chinese, and their schools are pretty strict and stressful academically.”

But Aaron is thankful for the experience. “It was really eye-opening to live in a culture extremely different from your own. It helps you understand yourself and grow.”

“It was really eye-opening to live in a culture extremely different from your own." - Aaron Ren

Since returning to Baltimore County for high school, Aaron remains in touch with his friends in China and sometimes reads in Chinese as well.

BEYOND THE ARBOR INITIATIVE

At Dulaney High, Aaron is involved with Key Club and FBLA and is on the school tennis team. While Dulaney offers Chinese language classes, he chose to study Latin. English remains his favorite subject.

“Aaron is an excellent student and a model for what I want all my students to be,” English teacher Dylan Steiner says. “He is thoughtful, engaged and hard-working; put simply Aaron was an absolute joy to have in the classroom. He brought energy to our discussions, enjoyed receiving and editing his essays based on teacher feedback, and was a frequent leader for any given activity. He is a talented writer and his passion for the environment shined through even in our English class. It’s so cool to see him continue to make progress on all the goals and ambitions he set forth as a freshman.”

Aaron is the 2021-2022 state reporter-historian for Maryland FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America)

English teacher Dirk Frey concurs. “Aaron Ren is an outstanding young man -- gregarious and engaging,” Frey says. “He is the type of student who is always pushing himself, asking questions, and seeking to improve. As a person, he exudes kindness and respect to all of those with whom he comes in contact. Aaron was such a great teammate and encourager in my GT 10 English class last year -- both in person and during our online sessions. I can't say enough how much I thoroughly enjoyed working with him, which I am sure will be everyone's experience who meets him. Aaron is one of a kind; any team, organization, or individual who gets his attention or participation is indeed fortunate.”

Asked about the period of virtual learning he experienced, Aaron says, “It was definitely a change, but I think my friends and I adapted well and made the most of it. The Arbor Initiative is the representation of that.”

UP NEXT: A FOCUS ON RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE FAMILIES BEING SERVED

In addition to his schoolwork and other commitments, Aaron and the other Arbor Initiative founders meet weekly on Zoom to plan their next steps. “We would love to distribute 10,000 books each year,” Aaron says, “but more than reaching a certain number, we really want to focus on building relationships with the families we serve. We want to understand what the families need and to try to provide what they need, whether that means books, school supplies, used laptops, or something else.”