When sixth-grader Ben Morgenstern attended the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, DC last October, he took the call to leadership to heart.
Morgenstern, a student at Willow Hill Elementary, was chosen to represent his school and the state of Michigan at the annual conference after being nominated by his fifth-grade teacher, Candiss Brewer.
"I nominated Ben because of his scholastic achievement and the way he works with other students at all levels,” said Brewer, who thought that Ben was just the sort of student that the Young Leaders Conference is meant for.
"He gives his peers just the right push when they need it. He just has a wonderful way with them,” Brewer said.
The conference, sponsored by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, brings together fifth and sixth-grade scholars from across the United States to develop and sharpen their leadership skills by examining the leaders of the past and empowering them to make a positive social impact in their community and the world. Students work together to develop action plans that affect change within their home and communities.
Among the plans that Morgenstern put into action upon his return home, was a holiday food drive to benefit the Goodwill Inn. Through his efforts, and those of his fellow classmates, Morgenstern was able to deliver more than 2,700 food items to the Inn just before Christmas.
"I never would have thought of doing it before the conference. One of our speakers talked about his experiences with leadership, to motivate students in our own communities,” said Morgenstern who plans to organize another food drive for next year.
In addition to the call to leadership, the Young Leaders Conference gave the youngsters a chance to tour the capitol and the surrounding area.
"I really liked seeing all the memorials. It was really fun, we went everywhere,” said Morgenstern who visited the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Washington Memorial, the World War II and Vietnam War Memorial as well as the National Museum of Natural History, National Native American Museum and the historical town of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
"I hope to be able to go back to Washington, DC with my family, so I can be their tour guide and show them everything I learned about,” Morgenstern said.