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Student leaders chosen to attend D.C. Conference
Zachary Merkovsky, a student at Selzer School in Dumont, and Jeremy Edward Orellana of New Milford, who attends St. Therese of Liseux School in Cresskill, have been selected to participate in the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C.
Representatives are chosen on the basis of their academic achievements and leadership potential.
Merkovsky is involved with the school’s jazz band, junior band, senior band and orchestra, where he plays the string bass, electric bass, bassoon, trombone and electric guitar.
He also performs with the Bergen Youth Orchestra Philharmonia as the principal string bassist and is now an official member of the Bergen Youth Orchestra Symphony.
His other interests are playing tennis, soccer and baseball.
Orellana, the 11-year-old son of Oscar and Bernadette Orellana attends will be entering the seventh grade at St. Therese School in September.
He was born in Queens, N.Y., and moved with his family to New Milford at age 5. He was elected to membership in the National Junior Beta Club in May 2007. He enjoys baseball, soccer and playing the trumpet.
He is a Boy Scout in Troop 36, Oradell, as well as an altar server at St. Therese Church. He has a younger sister, Elizabeth.
Merkovsky and Orellana will be among more than 250 middle school students from across the country to take part in the conference, the theme of which will be "Voices of Leadership: Reflecting on the Past to Create the Future."
The Junior National Young Leaders Conference introduces young people to the tradition of leadership throughout American history, while helping them develop their own leadership skills.
During the six-day program, students take part in educational activities and presentations. They may meet with elected officials and congressional staff members on Capitol Hill.
They will also visit sites, such as Harpers Ferry and Washington, D.C., monuments.
In addition to examining notable U.S. leaders and historic figures, students study the impact of leadership throughout critical periods of American history, including the Civil War and Reconstruction, World War II, the Great Depression and the civil rights movement.
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