NJMS scholar prepares for D.C.
By Melissa Waites
The North Jefferson News
A student from North Jefferson Middle School will be going to Washington, D.C.
Seth Holland, 11, was nominated by one of his teachers to attend the Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC).
Holland, who enjoys history and wants to be an astronaut when he gets older, will be in Washington, D.C. June 13-23.
“He’s very excited about going,” said Lowell Holland, his father. “He enjoys history and kind of enjoys government and anything to do with NASA.”
The conference is designed to help scholarly students develop and master their leadership skills by examining leaders from the past and enabling them to make a positive impact in their community and the world.
Seth’s father says he is already exhibiting leadership skills, but he hopes this experience will sharpen them.
“I hope he gets more insight into what role he can play in the future and see what it will take to make a difference in the world. I want him to see that there is a bigger picture and that he can and should be a part of it,” Holland said.
JrNYLC focuses on looking at leadership through a practical eye and incorporates a detailed examination of eight leadership traits. They also focus on leaders in American history, according to the JrNYLC’s Web site.
Site experiences, hands-on exercises and workshops bring these concepts to life while students work together to develop plans that affect change in their homes and communities.
The JrNYLC is directed by a full-time staff of educators, all of whom have led Congressional Youth Leadership Council programs.
The attendees are supervised 24 hours a day by professional faculty advisors and staff from the moment they arrive in D.C. until the moment they depart, according to the JrNYLC’s Web site.
While attending the conference, students are required to attend all activities and must stay with the conference at all times unless written permission is given by a scholar’s parents.
The Congressional Youth Leadership Council (CYLC) seeks out students who have demonstrated leadership potential and a history of academic achievement who will add to the strength and character of the JrNYLC.
Nominations are extended to students who have demonstrated those abilities and who will be in the sixth and seventh grade during the 2008/2009 academic school year.
“Seth has a wonderful attitude and is a great student,” Holland said, adding that his son is mostly looking forward to meeting new people.
“He never meets a stranger, he likes meeting other kids,” Holland said.