The Southern Pines Rotary Club is nominating two Pinecrest High School students for attendance at the 2009 Rotary Youth Leadership Program (RYLP) in Greensboro this summer.

Jacob Monroe and Garrett Berk have been nominated to attend the program July 1925 at Guilford College. The Rotary Youth Leadership Program is coordinated by the Greensboro Rotary Club, in cooperation with the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, and is in its 27th year.

The Rotary Youth Leadership Program is available to selected high school rising juniors and rising seniors throughout Rotary District 7690 -- which includes the Southern Pines Rotary. The program provides an opportunity for the students to develop effective and responsible leadership skills. Topics covered during the week-long session include: Leadership 101; Self-Awareness; Team Problem Solving, which is an outdoor exercise; Ethics: No Easy Answers; Building Great Teams; and Goal Setting.

The Rotary Youth Leadership Program will be held on the Guilford College campus, utilizing the college's dormitory, cafeteria, and recreational facilities. Outstanding North Carolina college students who are alumni of the program will serve as staff leadership advisers. Other program staff will include professionals from the Center for Creative Leadership and representatives of the business and professional community. Prominent state and local leaders will visit, speak to the participants, and assist the students in assessing their career goals.

Monroe and Berk were nominated to compete in the selection process by their principal. Students interested in participating in the program were encouraged to submit applications for review and were then interviewed for selection to attend by the Southern Pines Rotary Club RYLP Committee. The program requires that each student demonstrate leadership experience, maintain at least a B average in school, and must be a rising junior or senior in high school.