Howard Beach students travel to Nation’s Capitol

Jenna Cerbone and Daniel Holowiak, 8th grade students at St. Helen School in Howard Beach, participated in the People to People Leadership Summit Program in Washington, D.C. last summer. The pair was invited because of their academic achievements. Cerbone, Holowiak and other delegates stayed at the Watergate Hotel. They visited many landmarks such as the Spy Museum, the Washington Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial. In addition, they toured the Capitol and Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, in Virginia. The delegates also visited George Washington University, Georgetown University and the University of Virginia. They attended daily lectures and participated in leadership-building activities. To end the summit, they celebrated with a dinner cruise on the Potomac River.
Cerbone and Holowiak successfully completed the leadership requirements and earned 10 high school credits in their Social Studies course, Perspectives on Leadership. They also earned 55 class hours. They developed self-confidence, leadership skills and gained an important advantage in academics and the college admissions process. They played an important role in furthering President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vision of world peace and understanding while preparing to serve as leaders and global citizens.
As honored graduates of a People to People Leadership Program, Cerbone and Holowiak are both eligible to participate in a special World Leadership Forum in London, Paris and Brussels in October 2007. They will take part in exciting learning opportunities such as examining the U.S. President’s relationship with Britain’s Head of State and comparing the two leadership styles. They will also meet with a member of the British Parliament, reconnect with old friends from the program and make new friends as they debate global issues with European students.
—courtesy Jenna Cerbone