News about some very awesome teens in our community entered my inbox last week.  One talented young adult, Hanna Seltz won a very competitive art contest for her poignant painting which captures the lifestyle of people in another land. 

A group of teens went to Washington D.C. for far more than sightseeing.  Read their thoughtful, well written journals about their interviews with inspiring leaders. (photo on left)

Another group of local teen musicians is playing jazz at Kuumbwa this week. 

I am sure they all worked hard to achieve their goals and imagine their parents and teachers nurtured and encouraged their talent and growth along the way.

Family, talent, and teachers are all part of the recipe for successfully bringing these teens to the brink of adulthood, yet in speaking with some of them, there appeared to be one more critical ingredient they had in common, persistence.

Calvin Collidge said it best, "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."

Parmalee

Hanna Seltz, who is a junior at Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School, won the local division of the 29th annual Congressional Art Competition. Her painting, titled "Buejuv, Zanzibar," was declared the winner at a judging ceremony at CSUMB. Another Kirby student, Taylor Bird, won an Honorable Mention with her painting "Placing the Bets."

Hanna wins two roundtrip tickets to Washington to attend a June 17 reception. She also was awarded a $1,500 renewable scholarship from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her painting will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year.

This is the 29th year of the contest, called "An Artistic Discovery." Students in communities across the country compete in the event, which was launched by the Congressional Arts Caucus.

These are only a sampling of student journals.  Visit their website.  It's inspiring!

Marie Fox: Interview with Alyse Nelson, Co-Founder and CEO of Vital Voices

"We could not have picked a better person than Alyse Nelson to start off our interview experience in Washington DC. After hearing about Alyse, I expected someone very different than the elegant, blonde woman who walked through the doors of the Cosmos Club. You could tell right away that she had confidence in herself and in the work she does.

Her words about leadership touched me more than anything else in the interview. Alyse described a leader as a person who seeks power to give power to others, and said that good leaders are the world's greatest untapped potential. She told us stories of women all over the world who demonstrated this kind of leadership and who had an impact on their communities. These stories made me think about my potential. If women who have absolutely nothing except their hope for a better future can do something empowering and proactive in their community, then I most certainly can too."

Haley Turner: Interview with Erica Barks-Ruggles, Deputy Assistant to the Permanent Representative of the U.S. to the United Nations

"...Our second interview today was with Erica Barks-Ruggles, the Deputy Assistant to the Permanent Representative of the U.S. to the United Nations. She had a very powerful presence that instantly commanded my attention. Erica Barks-Ruggles was enthusiastic, eloquent and passionate about the issues she spoke of. She told us about a project in which she helped obtain funds from the U.S. government to provide education for girls in Africa. Eventually through a combination of private and public funds, the project raised $780 million and in turn put 44,000 girls through school. She was pleased to tell us that the project still exists today."

Haley Turner

Emma Fladeboe: Interview with Leonard McCarthy, Vice President for Institutional Integrity, World Bank

"We walked through the halls of the World Bank, not knowing what to expect. We entered a room that resembled many of the other rooms we have occupied for interviews over the last few days. When Leonard McCarthy, the Vice President for Institutional Integrity at the World Bank, entered the room and sat down, I began to introduce the group to him. I finished my introduction with, "If you have any opening remarks we would love to hear them."

It was then that the interview became both demanding and truly rewarding.
Leonard McCarthy took the opportunity I had given him, and handed it right back to us. "What is your impression of the World Bank?" he asked. With that question, what we had anticipated was going to be an interview became a conversation. He asked us questions about corruption in government. He asked us whether corruption should be allowed even on a small scale. This discussion led us to the question, "What is integrity?" We began to discuss this issue and other economic issues with him. I was grateful for our time with Leonard McCarthy because I felt that he sincerely appreciated our responses and our input. He wrote down what we had to say. We were not treated as students, but as people whose involvement was significant. There is nothing more gratifying than having someone so intelligent and so important genuinely value your contribution.

Our exchange with Leonard McCarthy is ultimately what our Values class was meant to prepare us for: to be able to discuss openly the issues and values of the world with figures that have significant influence. Sharing our opinions and perceptions of the world with Leonard McCarthy was a worthwhile and fulfilling experience."

I've had two interactions in the last week that moves me to write again about the importance of addressing gifted education in our public schools. The first was at a meeting where a mom passionately explained why her district had to have a program in place to try to draw in more students. She pointed out that although only three kids in her neighborhood of many kids were attending their local public schools, parents could be drawn back in now what with the economy and the difficulty of keeping up private school tuitions. But, she said, those parents weren't going to come back if there wasn't clear support by the administration for accelerated learners.

The second encounter happened when I was walking on the street and heard a car idling behind me. I looked back and saw a mom I'd known when my son was a preschooler - we haven't seen much of each other in years. Without any unnecessary chitchat, she got right to the subject at hand. "So tell me about homeschooling," she said. "My son is doing very well at school, and he's miserable. The school is giving him nothing. All he's learning is what's on the test, and he already knows that. We can't afford private school, but I have to get him out of there. He's bored to tears." read more>>>

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Have you read the descriptions of summer programs for children in our Camp Calendar?  Talented and dedicated adults are offering amazing programs.  Please read through them; don't get envious.  There's plenty of time for you also to follow your passion.  Just this past week, a 94 year old woman graduated from college.  She said she was a little busy getting through the depression and raising a family --a few children and 40 grandchildren and great grandchildren-- but she persisted.