Water Valley Students Attend Rotary Youth Leadership Academy
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Three local students attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy. The students and accompanying Rotarians were (front row, from left) Toni Hill, Jenna Trusty (student) and Cinnamon Foster; (back row) Raymond Hawkins, Jackson Herrera (student), Heath Wrenn (student), Tommy White and Tyler Hill.
By Linda Evans White
The Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) is a weekend conference designed for high school juniors, sponsored each year by Rotary District 6800. This district includes all of the Rotary clubs across north Mississippi, located north of Hwy 82 and all of the clubs in Shelby County, Tenn. including the. Water Valley Rotary Club.
Delegates from Water Valley attending RYLA April 19-21 were Jackson Herrera, Jenna Trusty, and Heath Wrenn. Rotarian Cary Vaughn, a Past Rotary District Governor from Millington, Tenn., served as over-all Chairman of the event, and Rotarians Cooper Clement and Tommy White provided transportation for the Water Valley delegates.
Accompanied by WVHS Principal Dr. Vickie Person, the three RYLA delegates spoke to the local Rotary Club on Tuesday, April 30, and reported on their experiences and activities at the RYLA Conference.
Rotarian Toni Hill serves as the local Rotary Club’s RYLA representative, along with PDG Tommy White who led an Orientation meeting prior to the conference for the delegates and their parents. Rotarian Taylor Trusty was present for the delegates’ departure to RYLA, and Rotarians Cinnamon Foster, Raymond Hawkins, Tommy White and his wife Linda also attended the RYLA conference.
Recognizing that “Today’s Youth Represent Tomorrow’s Leaders,” RYLA was initiated in 1982 under the leadership of Grenada businessman Hayes Branscome, Clarksdale Attorney Joe Gibbs, and West Point Attorney Lee Morrison with Past District Governor Branscome serving as the conference chairman.
Later approved as a district-wide project, RYLA is a self-supported conference, totally funded by approximately 40 District 6800 clubs. Each Rotary Club sponsors the number of delegates they wish to send and provides transportation to and from the conference site, Whispering Woods Hotel & Conference Center in Olive Branch.
RYLA offers young men and women who have demonstrated leadership potential in their academic and extracurricular activities the opportunity to better understand the qualities of leadership and their importance to our society. This year’s program included topics such as The FIVE Levels of Leadership, YMCA Youth in Government, the Military, Health Care Professions in Demand, Travel Q & A, College Admissions Information, the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, Interact, and Rotaract.
This year, the annual adult Rotary District Conference was also held on Sat., April 20 at the same location as RYLA.
The RYLA delegates were invited to attend a luncheon session with the District Conference attendees, hearing an address by Connie Spark, the Rotary International President’s Representative.
Local Rotarians and spouses attending the District Conference were Cinnamon Foster, Raymond Hawkins, Toni Hill, Tyler Hill, Linda White, and Tommy White.
