Local Student Selected to Attend LeadAmerica's
Congressional Student Leadership Conference
Sarah McDowell, a rising 10th
grader at Newark High School,
was selected to attend the 2009
Congressional Student Leadership Conference
(CSLC) on Theatre Arts, sponsored by LeadAmerica,
at Fordham University
in New York, NY June 15 - June 24. The CSLC
is a college-accredited invitational
leadership program for academically talented
and promising young leaders from across the
United States and internationally. Exceptional high school students with a
record of academic achievement
and
extracurricular or community involvement,
were invited to participate.
The CSLC on Theatre Arts is a
10-day leadership program in which students
get an inside look at this exciting field. In a hands-on learning environment, Sarah
and fellow students learned from
professional set designers, producers,
actors and theater administrators. They
participated in daily workshops on
playwriting, improvisation, producing and
designing. While in New York, Sarah visited
Ellis Island, attended two Broadway shows; the Fantasticks and Phantom of the Opera,
and took in the city’s sights.
In addition to being an honor
student at NHS, Sarah is a member of the NHS
Chorus and NHS Improv group, the Rude
Mechanicals. She is also a member of the
Newark High Nature Society. She hopes to
take what she learned back to NHS in the
fall to enhance her performance and
leadership skills.
“Today, more than ever, youth
leadership education is essential,” says
Chris M. Salamone, Esq., Founder and
Executive Director of LeadAmerica.
“Leadership can make important differences
in the lives of teenagers - in their
academic and personal performance, in their
acceptance to the college of their choice,
and in their level of focus, passion and
purpose. It is the key to what they
do with their lives and how well they
do it. I cannot think of a time in history
during which leadership was more
imperative.”
“Over the past 20 years, I
have had the privilege of seeing more than
70,000 exceptional students from over 51
countries learn first-hand about leadership
and explore its role in a variety of
educational disciplines. It’s my sincere
hope that LeadAmerica will give young
leaders the skills to help them along the
road toward a successful and rewarding life
of leadership.”
LeadAmerica
is the nation's premier youth leadership
organization. With a commitment to providing
quality leadership education, LeadAmerica
inspires and empowers young people to
achieve their full potential and instills a
sense of purpose, integrity and personal
responsibility.
Each of its high school
conferences is college-accredited and its
programs are approved activities of the
National Association of Secondary School
Principals. LeadAmerica sponsors the
Congressional Student Leadership Conference
for high school students, the National
Junior Leaders Conference for middle and
junior high school students, and Ambassadors
Abroad international study programs in
China, Australia, Costa Rica and Europe.
Further information on LeadAmerica
and the CSLC can be found at
www.lead-america.org
or by calling 1.866.FYI.LEAD
(394.5323).
