Addison Mizner Student to Attend Youth Leadership Conference in DC
By Stephanie Neeley
Oliver Beardsley, a fifth-grader at Addison Mizner Elementary School, has been selected to participate in the Junior National Youth Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. this summer.
More than 250 outstanding middle school students from across the United States will take part in this six-day extraordinary leadership conference themed “Voices of Leadership: Reflecting on the Past to create the Future, sponsored by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council.
“This is exciting for me,” Oliver, 11, said. “I’ve learned a lot about how government works in class, but I am excited to see it first hand in Washington, D.C. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip.”
A perennial figure on the school’s honor roll, Oliver is also active in the school’s safety patrol program and plays on the Boca Select Travel Basketball team.
“I see a lot of students come and go through my classroom, but Oliver stands out,” said Alicia Ostendorf, Oliver’s fifth-grade teacher who nominated him. “He is a delight in the classroom, always eager to learn and inquisitive. I nominated him for the Junior National Youth Leadership Conference because I know he will make the most of it. Who knows? Maybe one day he’ll be talking to future JrNYLC groups as a senator or president.”
The Junior National Young Leaders Conference introduces young people to the rich tradition of leadership throughout American history, while helping them to develop their own leadership skills.
“The aim of the Junior National Young Leaders Conference is to inspire students to recognize their own leadership skills, measure their skills against those of current and former leaders and return home with new confidence in their ability to exercise positive influence within their communities,” said Marguerite Regan, Ph.D., dean of academic affairs for the Congressional Youth Leadership Council. “Young people are not only welcome in Washington, D.C., they actually keep this city and our country running.”
Participants will take part in educational activities and presentations. They will explore relevant sites, such as Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia and the nation’s capital, museums and memorials. In addition to examining notable U.S. leaders and historic figures, students will study the impact of leadership throughout critical periods of American history including the Civil War and Reconstruction, World War II, the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement.
Upon completion of JrNYLC, students gained a greater sense of the role of individuals in American democracy, as well as the responsibilities of being a leader, organizers said.
CYLC is a nonpartisan, educational organization. Since 1985, the Council has inspired more than 200,000 young people to achieve their full leadership potential.
For more information, visit us at www.cylc.org.
