January 10th was Bryan Plumley's most recent birthday, and he was up and rarin' to go at 7 am. He was out enjoying the sunshine with some buddies, playing 18 holes of golf. "It's not often that I get out to play on my birthday," he noted. He said that he "played terribly". But I say, the higher the score, the more practice you get!
EXCHANGE STUDENT NEWS
Host Mom Kathy Fraser reported on our Exchange Student from Denmark, Kasper Troelsen. He and with the other District 5130 Exchange Students (both Inbound and next year's Outbound Exchangers) spent the previous weekend at Mt. Shasta for a Ski Trip. Craig Newman said that the young folks encountered "about two-thirds dirt and one-third snow". Fortunately, there were no injuries. Cam Appleton noted that the weekend included the initial orientation for the Outbound Students. About 110 Exchangers, parents, and host family members were in attendance.
Bruce LeBel read part of an e-mail from our Exchange Student emissary to France, Eliot Clausen. Among other information, Eliot reports that school is becoming easier as his fluency in French increases.
For more on all of the District's Exchangers, check out the District's Youth Exchange Newsletter Page at http://www.youthexchange5130.org/newsletters.shtml.
A NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE
Seth McFarland visited our Club last week to thank us for helping him get to Washington, D.C. Seth is a junior at Arcat
a High School who was recently nominated to represent AHS and our community at the National Youth Leadership Forum on National Security in our nation's capital.Seth's interests include diplomacy, national security, science, and math. He gave a History Day presentation on Robert Oppenheimer and the evolution of modern warfare. He expects that the trip to the Leadership Forum will (as he said in his request letter to our Club) "expose me to career options where I could combine my interests in these areas".
For more information about the Forum, click here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Our Club recently received a slew of thank you notes from third graders throughout Arcata. The young'uns were expressing their appreciation for their new dictionaries. And we tip our hat to Bryan Reeser, who coordinated the Dictionary Project once again this year. Thank you, Mister Reeser!
Don't forget - Saturday, February 21st is the new date for the Historical Homes Tour. Participants should meet in the Arcata High School parking lot ... um ... sometime that day. (I'll have a time in the next Sunrise Spirit.
Cam Appleton provided an update on ailing Charter Member Hal Fitzpatrick. Hal has been experiencing heart problems, and he recently returned from the Stanford University Medical Center, where he underwent several tests. Hal and his medical providers are trying to determine whether he should have heart surgery or have stents placed to improve his circulation. Keep Hal in your thoughts and prayers.
Plans for the Firehouse Fundraiser are coming together. Chairman Dan Johnson said that we have 24 tables sold [as of last Friday], but we still have plenty of empty seats. Individual tickets will be available at next week's meeting. Please work with your team to find items for the silent auction and raffle.
WATCH THIS SPACE
Part Two of this report will deal with Finemaster Jessica and our Guest Speaker - from CalTrans.
