PHOTO: Orrville High School juniors, Kaleb Wayt and Valerie Gonzalez Quinteros, RYLA 2024 attendees.The RYLA Report 2024
Self-assured and engaging OHS juniors Kaleb Wayt and Val Quinteros shared the ins and outs of their February 9-11, 2024 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) conference held in Canfield, Ohio. Sponsored by Orrville Rotary and selected by OHS faculty, the amiable duo assembled with 60 other Rotary District 6650 high school juniors for the weekend focused on developing leadership skills through a series of speakers, small group activities, skits, team building activities, advancing verbal and non-verbal communication skills and each participant's behavior styles. According to Val and Kaleb, the food was really good, hotel accommodations excellent, and free time for relaxing and friendship building very welcome. The duo confessed that students' restricted use of cell phones during the day was "not a problem" and that, in fact, led to vast opportunities to establish new relationships. Of the RYLA experience(s), Kaleb shared that he "honed in on being genuine" and "learned stuff to use for the rest of my life". Val, normally a quiet and introverted individual, stated that her experience(s) at the conference happily "got her out of her comfort zone" and now considers her behavior style as a "socializer"! Orrville Rotarians applaud Kaleb and Val for taking and embracing the RYLA 2024 "leap of faith" and wish each of them continued success in their future endeavors.
Submitted by Wilma Raynor, Orrville Rotary Club RYLA Coordinator