BY LINDA HULL
Vice President
Rotary Club of Los Alamos
As families throughout the community prepared to send their children back to school, Rotary took the opportunity August 8 to recognize several students who have recently been part of Rotary Youth programs or who are just beginning their adventures. Among the many services offered, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos, with support from governing District 5520 and Rotary International, provides Youth Exchange programs and a leadership camp.
Lance Metcalf, a junior at Los Alamos High School, spent one week in July at a retreat in the Manzano Mountains attending Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA). With a PowerPoint as backdrop, Metcalf described the challenges of the climbing wall and the low and high ropes courses and told Rotarians about the motivational speakers who were part of the leadership week. Not only was the co-founder of RYLA one of the dynamic speakers, but a judge and a retired firefighter were also guests. Dodge ball and swimming were other activities included in the busy week. Photo by Linda Hull
LAHS Senior Hana Raby recently returned from her Rotary Youth Exchange to Brake, Germany, a port on the Weser River in northwest Germany. Raby’s PowerPoint highlighted the many places she visited and the many friends she made while in Europe. A special photo captured her birthday cake ablaze with candles. Although the school-year abroad was stressful at first, Raby says, she found it much easier as she learned more and more German. Of the many places she visited, she regards Geneva, Switzerland as her favorite destination. Her favorite German food? Kartoffelgratin (potatoes au gratin). Photo by Linda Hull
The Los Alamos club’s outbound Youth Exchange student for the school year 2023-2024 is Annabelle Rosette, who will be spending her junior year of high school in Huesca, Spain, a small municipality in the northeastern part of the country near the French border. It pre-dates the Roman era and is known for its many cathedrals. Rosette has already met her host families and made friends through Zoom and will be taking classes that include Greek and Latin, history, literature, and agriculture, one of Huesca’s main economic drivers. Rosette leaves in September to begin her studies. Here she accepts trade banners from Rotary Club President Tim Bullock which she will exchange with Rotary clubs she visits in Spain. Photo by Linda Hull
On Tuesday, August 8, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos welcomed Youth Exchange student Joan Guerrera from Mallorca, Spain. Guerrera, who arrived on the August 5, started his LAHS studies with fellow students on Wednesday and is enrolled in algebra, physics, robotics, US history, PE, and weight-lifting. He is currently hosted by Tim and Linda Bullock. Photo by Linda Hull
Mari Flores was a guest at the Rotary Club of Los Alamos on August 8. Flores is an inbound Youth Exchange student from Guanapari, Brazil and is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Santa Fe. She is attending Santa Fe High School and is taking cooking classes and French along with other classes. Flores is particularly interested in ballet. Photo by Linda Hull
Community members who are interested in Rotary Youth Exchange are encouraged to contact Laura Gonzales at 505-699-5880 or abqlaura@gmail.com. Applications for the 2024-2025 school year will be accepted through the end of September, 2023. Applications can be found at: RYE Application-Long Term 2023-07-11-reg.pdf – Google Drive
Applications to host an exchange student can be found at: HF-1_Host_Family_Application.pdf (scrye.org)
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos, through its 1312 Club Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and one of over 34,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary, which now has 1.5 million members, was founded in 1905; the local Club was chartered in 1966. Rotary areas of focus include promoting peace; fighting disease, particularly polio; providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene; supporting education; saving and enhancing the lives of mothers and children; growing economies; and protecting the environment.
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos meets in person Tuesdays, 12:00-1:00, in the Community Room, Cottonwood on the Greens, at the golf course. A Zoom option is available by contacting Linda Hull, (505) 662-7950. Hull is also happy to provide information about the Club and its humanitarian service. The community is cordially invited to attend meetings and consider joining us in our projects, service, and friendship activities.