This Week's Program: Jr Rotarian Speeches

The program began with Nicole Blatchford from Cloquet High School. For Nicole, her experience playing basketball has taught her many life lessons. She's played basketball for 16 years and is now the Senior Captain of her school's Girls' Basketball Team. As with many team sports, she learned communication, cooperation, winning and losing, trust and respect. Now as captain she is learning about leadership, setting goals and lifelong friendships.

 

Lindsey Lilliberg from Esko High School spoke next. She told us the story of how she decided to pursue a career in nursing. It all started when she became seriously ill and was rushed to the emergency room. She was diagnosed with abdominal pain and sent home. Finally, after 8 months of illness, a physician agreed to run a gall bladder test and that was indeed her problem, so far advanced that it could have been fatal. This was a turning point for Lindsey, now dedicated to a nursing career to help others like herself.

 

Esko student, Andrea Keuhn told us about her changing definition of family and how important family is in her life. In her family there was divorce, a step family, and half siblings. Not the typical family of blood relations. Her mom discouraged the term step children, replacing it with bonus children. At first this was hard for Andrea to accept. But finally 3 years ago at Christmas, with all the members of her extended family together, she realized that family is the people in your life who you can count on through all your ups and downs.

 

Marie Osuna from Cloquet High School explained how dance has defined her life. She had admired the school dance team and when a friend said, "Join dance", she did. She practiced a lot, even when her Mom was sick and she had to do extra work at home. The team gave her support, friends, and a sense of family. When she tried out for the Fall team, she was bullied by one of the members, but she kept going. Then she joined a dance studio and now she has her first pair of point shoes. She's been in the school musical, Holiday parade and finds that dance opens doors for her.