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Fort Bend Independent School DistrictNEWS RELEASE |
** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE **
Fort Bend ISD's Junior Student Leadership Program Begins Second Cohort
FORT BEND ISD ― Twenty-four juniors, representing all 10 Fort Bend ISD high schools, completed their first seminar as part of FBISD’s Junior Student Leadership Program on November 11. The seminar was the first in a series of six monthly seminars that will allow the student leaders the opportunity to explore their personal roles in community leadership and service. The monthly seminars will focus on such topics as personal leadership skills, youth advocacy, service and volunteerism, local government in action, environmental awareness, and healthcare.
FBISD Board President, Bob Broxson, sponsored the first meeting. He welcomed students to the program and explained his leadership role as president of the School Board. He also gave a brief history of the leadership program, and said, “Our goal in establishing this program was to help students gain a better perspective of how the community operates by exposing them to various community leaders and resources. As participants in the leadership program, students will have the opportunity to venture out from their own backyards to experience the world around them. We hope that students will take the leadership skills they develop while in the program and apply them toward other areas of their lives.”
Lynda Ruther, FBISD Ropes Manager, is the program facilitator this year. She has arranged a full schedule of activities and fieldtrips for the student leaders. “I wanted to ensure that students have the opportunity to interact with leaders representing a wide range of professions and areas of expertise within our community. As students gain sight of the various leadership roles and resources, they will be better prepared to become future leaders themselves,” she said.
Ruther and her colleague, Jim Harton, helped students get better acquainted with each other by involving them in a series of “ice-breaker” activities. Students were asked to share their favorite ice cream flavor, television show and other aspects of their lives to show that similarities exist among them. They also took part in outdoor activities to test their listening, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Their main challenge of the day was to learn the names of all participants in the group.
“I am excited about the program and the opportunity to apply the leadership knowledge that I gain here to areas of my school life, especially the MCJROTC and the National Honor Society,” said Eugene Adams of
The 2009-2010 Junior Student Leadership class includes: Eugene Adams (Willowridge), Quintessa Andrews (Austin), Jason Chern (Bush), Courtney Chow (Clements), Amberlea Cogan (Elkins), Meaghan Connolly (Dulles), Ryan Crews (Travis), Gregory Fournier (Kempner), David Gonzalez (Willowridge), Nova Hou (Dulles), Taylor Love (Kempner), Krit Mahankali (Clements), Chelsea Manuel (Marshall), Shahana Momin (Marshall), Reece Price (Bush), Gerald Ruiz (Marshall), Jessica Sabillon (Progressive), Maira Samuel (Austin), Shayak Sengupta (Hightower), Arielle Tan (Hightower), Sandhya Thiyagarajan (Travis), Bindu Upadhyaya (Kempner), Irfan Vastani (Progressive), and Aranyce Whitaker (Elkins).
Pictured (seated, from right) Aranyce Whitaker (Elkins), Gregory Fournier (Kempner), Meaghan Connolly (Dulles); and (back row) Jason Chern (Bush), Eugene Adams (Willowridge), Bob Broxson, FBISD Board President; Irfan Vastani (Progressive), and Chelsea Manuel (
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