RYLA students

Gabby David (left), a student at Nevis High School, and Kaelie Olson, a Park Rapids Area High School student, spoke about the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) at the Rotary Club meeting Oct. 31. They said camp activities pushed them out of their comfort zones, especially feeling more comfortable talking in front of people. They learned steps to becoming a leader, how to work together to solve a problem and to listen to others’ ideas. Following in the Rotary motto of Service Above Self, their community activities included handing out roses and spending three hours in the Food Bank where they did three months’ work in three hours. They also learned the 4-Way Test and to apply it to their personal decisions. The club sponsors two students annually for the camp which is held in July at the University of Minnesota Crookston.