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These students traveled with People to People, pictured from left to right: Kelsey Conley, Kabra Taylor, Robert Switzer, Amber Snider, Carly White, and Alec Travers..

Debbie Harris, a Read Mountain Middle School teacher, traveled with a group of local students who were nominated to work with People to People and serve as student ambassadors to Australia in July of this year. The students completed a substantial amount of work before traveling. Students were required to successfully complete training modules, participate in orientation meetings, complete a research project, complete a community service project, and meet with an elected official before traveling.

The students met with Bob Goodlatte in April to discuss People to People's goals and the work they were doing.

The students volunteered at the Salem VAMC, helping to host a bingo evening and providing snacks for the veterans. Their choice of a community service project at home was good preparation for their community service project in Australia. The student ambassadors visited with the early pioneers who helped settle Malanda, Australia after baking and serving them scones.

The two week excursion in Australia took the students from Cairns to Sydney. The student ambassadors had the opportunity to interact with Aboriginal people as they learned about the didgeridoo, boomerang, and Aboriginal dances. The ambassadors had time to enjoy many of the sites Australia has to offer. The ambassadors enjoyed a tour led by a marine biologist as they snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef. They viewed the rain forest from a World War II amphibious vehicle and from the canopy while walking on an elevated walkway of the Wooroonooran National Park (picture above from left to right: Kelsey Conley, Kabra Taylor, Robert Switzer, Amber Snider, Carly White, and Alec Travers.) The ambassadors saw a dingo in the wild while staying on Frasier Island and were taught the basics of how to play cricket while visiting the Sidney Cricket Ground. Ambassadors participated in a "Full On" activity where they were given the opportunity to abseil 200 feet down the exposed rock face of the Blue Mountains while in Sydney.

The student ambassadors interacted with different Australian hosts in numerous settings from a sheep farm in the bush to the Sydney Opera House, and they demonstrated exceptional character and manners representing the United States in a way in which all Americans should be very proud.

submitted by Debbie Harris