But if the event that brought them to the dock is successful, that student just might play a part in cleaning up the water. The Sturgeon City Student Leadership Development Institute is designed to help participants build self-esteem and self-awareness, learn about economic and environmental issues and ultimately become active in making their community a better place to live, work and visit.

The weeklong institute, held in June, gets its name from a project to turn Jacksonville’s old wastewater treatment plant into a pride-generating and image-enhancing environmental education facility called Sturgeon City. For several decades, the plant dumped treated wastewater into the New River at Wilson Bay. But now, with a new land-application facility, the city has pledged to help clean up the bay, restore the wetlands that once were near the plant, and perhaps reintroduce sturgeon to the river.

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has been involved in both the Sturgeon City project and the leadership development institute. 4-H agent Gregory Clemmons was instrumental in helping plan the institute and lead it through its first two years, in 1999 and 2000.

“The Sturgeon City Leadership Development Institute has been an excellent opportunity for Cooperative Extension to strengthen its relationships with various community agencies, businesses and local partners,” Clemmons said. “All of us share a common concern about developing the leadership skills of youth in Onslow County, and each agency brings a particular expertise to enhancing the institute. By working together, we are able to achieve a level of synergy and accomplishment that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.”

To the institute, Clemmons brings more than 20 years of experience in helping the county’s young people develop life skills, such as leadership, team-work and communication.

And other Cooperative Extension educators bring their knowledge of environmental sciences. Jeff Morton, horticulture agent, and Dr. Diana Rashash, area specialized environmental education agent, were among those who presented hands-on educational activities. Morton’s session focused on local plants and Rashash’s, on water quality.

Through such sessions, the students gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing their community, said Glenn Hargett, community affairs director for the city and director of the Sturgeon City project.

“Our end goal is to encourage the participants to know that there is something here in Jacksonville for them after they graduate — they can come back and contribute in ways that enhance their community and fulfill their ambitions,” Hargett said.

This year, 85 rising sophomores were selected to take part. Corporate and individual sponsors pay for meals and other costs, so students don’t pay to participate. Local teachers serve as guides, and local government, business and education leaders trained the students on topics such as citizenship, social skills, networking, the economy and volunteerism.

Meghan Doyle, an assistant principal at White Oak High School, said that the hands-on activities were key to the institute’s success. “The institute is providing students with an awareness for Sturgeon City, and it is creating future leaders — and good civic awareness — in a more intensive way than the schools do.”

Doyle said she found the students’ enthusiasm for the future of Sturgeon City and the rest of the community to be contagious.

For some of the students, that enthusiasm persists long after they finish the institute. Marilyn Mungavin, for instance, completed the institute in 1999, and she came back again this year to help.

“I came last year because I was interested in biology, and I’m creative and had a lot of ideas for what Sturgeon City might become,” said Mungavin, who hopes one day to become involved in sports medicine. “I think you could turn the biotower at the wastewater treatment plant into a cafe with an aquarium, with a winding staircase and aviary.”

The best thing about the institute, she said, was learning about the role she could play in improving her community. “It helped me build volunteering skills — I didn’t have that before. I really didn’t know what volunteering was,” she said. “It helped me to get involved in the community — to know what opportunities there are.”

Helping young people to develop such a sense of ownership through volunteerism is something Clemmons finds personally rewarding.

“By providing life-skill development activities and volunteer opportunities, 4-H strengthens the lives of the youth it works with,” he said. “This institute provided these opportunities — with great results — by allowing participants to build on their volunteering skills. It’s been exciting.”