Rotarian Vincent Chiravalle presents a Distinguished Student of Service award to LAHS student Madeline Morris, on behalf of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos as her mother Karen Morris shares the moment with LAHS teacher Christine Engelbrecht, September 8, at the United Church of Los Alamos. Photo by James Wernicke.

BY VINCENT CHIRAVALLE
Rotary Club of Los Alamos

The motto of Rotary is Service Above Self. To support this motto in each academic year, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos honors “Distinguished Students of Service” in their junior year of high school. Students are first nominated by their teachers who are asked to select those who:

 Have given positive contributions to their high school and/or in the community;
 Have a good attitude toward learning;
 Are good citizens, are respectful of their peers and teachers; and
 Have good grades, attendance and classroom participation.

The Club then selects students based on demonstrated spirit of service and exemplification of the Rotary 4 Way Test:

 Is it the truth?
 Is it fair to all concerned?
 Will it build good will and better friendships?
 Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

On September 8, the Rotary Club of Los Alamos presented Madeline Morris, a Los Alamos High School student with a Distinguished Student of Service award. Madeline is indeed one who has made service part of her life and she is a verywell-rounded student. Madeline is a member of the National Honor Society and Tomorrow’s Women, where she helps produce a podcast that amplifies the voices of Israeli and Palestinian peers overseas. In addition Madeline is a member of the LAHS cheer team, a dancer at Dance Arts Los Alamos, a member of the LAHS newspaper, and a YMCA summer camp counselor.

In her essay Madeline shared with the Club one of the challenges facing today’s youth; namely, feeling overwhelmed by stories about conflict in the Middle East, and a sense that as young people our actions have no impact on these big problems. Madeline described how as a Peace Ambassador with Tomorrow’s Women, she had the opportunity to speak directly to a woman living in the midst of the Israel-Palestine conflict:

The Tomorrow’s Women program trained me in skills such as active listening through workshops and community outreach. Forming a relationship with Alaa, a 27 year old Palestinian living in Gaza, is an opportunity not many people have, and it taught me more than any other service project. Alaa was displaced from her home. Before the current conflict she graduated university with a degree in biology, drawn to the field by her love for science and humanity. By encouraging authentic conversation, we can create spaces for more people to feel heard and welcomed.

While I may not have been able to do much from across the world, just talking to Alaa gave us both a purpose –we wanted to understand each other’s experiences. Youth can benefit from hearing these stories as it introduces them to different perspectives, prompting a sense of empathy and a desire to take action. This sense can empower young people all over the world who may not feel as if they can make a change. Coming away from this experience, I make
it my goal to never undermine other’s experiences.

The Rotary Club of Los Alamos feels that this is a very worthy effort and commends Madeline for her service to the youth in Los Alamos. When receiving the award Madeline was joined by her mother Karen Morris and LAHS teacher Christine Engelbrecht,who nominated her for the award. Rotarian Vincent Chiravalle conducted the award ceremony.