Shannon Maynard, Pawling High School Rising Junior, Speaks to Pawling Rotary
By Susan Stone
On August 15th, Shannon Maynard, a Junior this fall at Pawling High School, was the guest speaker at Pawling Rotary’s regular weekly meeting in the Lathrop building at Lakeside Park. Ms. Maynard’s topic of discussion covered her attendance at Rotary’s District RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership) conference last June. The conference is intended for high school sophomores and took place over five days at Saint Mary’s College in Newburg, New York.
Having attended the conference on a full scholarship donated by Pawling’s Rotary Club, Ms. Maynard spoke at length about the many ways in which her experience at RYLA was inspiring and life changing. Although she explained that she didn’t know what to expect, she was quick to add that she was, “so glad to have gone,” and that she “learned so much.”
Through several team building exercises, Ms. Maynard made clear that she found herself able to achieve things that she never thought possible, which included public speaking and taking on a leadership role within several group activities She also felt that spending five days on a college campus was an exciting prelude to the college experience, and she is certain that the friendships that she made at the conference will last far into the future.
Information about The Rotary Youth Leadership Conference and the many other educational opportunities available to Pawling youngsters through Pawling’s Rotary Club may be found on the Rotary web site at http://www.pawlingrotary.org.
