WIESBADEN, Germany - Wiesbaden Middle School students were among more than 100 participants from other Department of Defense Dependents Schools in Europe attending the Junior Leadership Seminar in Oberwesel Feb. 6-11.
The seminar offered them the opportunity to gain leadership skills and make friends from as far away as England and Bahrain.
"This group received accolades from the on-site sponsors," said Dr. Frankie Nielson, the program sponsor for Wiesbaden Middle School.
Nielson went on to explain that the application process was very exhaustive. Students were required to write several essays and give information about their extracurricular activities.
They also needed to provide recommendations from three teachers.
As far as selection, "everything was anonymous, so it's not a popularity contest at all," said Nielson, "I had to push for an extra spot. We didn't get it, but that is how close the competition was."
The tough entry process made the acceptance of triplets Frankie, Nicholas and Jack Whalen, eighth-graders, highly impressive, she said. It was Frankie who encouraged his brothers to submit applications. And in the end, they all made the cut.
Frankie Whalen said he was excited about the skills he gained and was particularly moved by a lecture on the state of America's education system. "It's our generation that will suffer" because of the decline in public education in the United States, he said.
Everyone agreed that the most memorable aspect of the trip was social. "When we arrived, we didn't know anyone and didn't really talk to anyone. When it was time to go, we were all sad," said seventh-grader Nadja Hernandez-Lopez.
Nadia Whitehouse added, "It will be easy to keep in contact with the friends we made with email and Facebook."
Their new skills were evident when the students were asked to determine the most important characteristic in a leader. They immediately applied a technique called "Consensus Not Voting."
Eighth-grader Jack Whalen held out with a different opinion, but after some thoughtful persuasion from the other students, he conceded with them that "fairness" is the most important characteristic for a leader.
"We worked with lots of other leaders. One of the most important lessons was knowing when to step back and listen to what others had to say," said seventh-grader Abigail Zellmer.
When asked about applying their new skills at school and in the community, the students became very excited. Seventh-grader Brianna Drew already has plans for organizing fund-raising events at the school to support global causes. "I'm going to convince the principal to let us have a carnival next year," said Drew.
"These kids are hungry and want to know even more about leadership," said Neilson.
The students will put their new knowledge to use and continue to hone their leadership skills in ongoing meetings this school year and for the rest of their lives. "I wanted to go so I would learn things that would help me change the world for the better," said Frankie Whalen.
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