THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 24, 1996 TAG: 9601230092
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THUMBS UP
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
JESSICA GREENE PLANS to take the high road next summer to Scotland - and England, Ireland and Wales.
Jessica, a 12-year-old seventh-grader at Smithfield Middle School, has been selected as a People to People Student Ambassador.
She will be among the Hampton Roads delegation for the 22-day program to London, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Snowdonia, Wales; and Dublin and Killarney, Ireland. She will meet with teenagers and government officers and experience home visits with host families.
``I want to learn about different countries,'' Jessica said. ``I want to know how the countries are governed, how schools are different, and how they have fun.''
People to People was begun by President Eisenhower in 1956, in an effort to ease East-West tensions during the Cold War. Similar projects such as Sister Cities, Project HOPE and Pen Pals were founded at the same time and have become independent programs.
As a Student Ambassador, Jessica will be not only a representative of American youth but also a personal representative of the honorary chairman, President Clinton. Each student is encouraged to learn a few phrases in a host family's language and to be the kind of guest their international hosts would like to see again.
Before her departure in June or July, Jessica will receive material about the history, geography, economy, customs and current events of the countries she will visit. It is also important for Jessica to be well-informed about the United States, since many people will want to talk to her about our country while she is abroad.
Jessica's name was chosen from a scholastic listing, said her mother, Kathy Greene. With several letters of recommendation, she met last month with delegation leader Linda Hunt, an assistant principal at Kraft Elementary School in Hampton. Hunt will travel with the group as a chaperone.
Jessica's selection came after an interview with Hunt and three other teachers. The program is offered for high school and college credit due to the trip's educational activities.
Beginning in February, Jessica will attend orientation meetings. The carefully planned visits, not available to tourists, have been pre-arranged by the Student Programs staff and their host network in each country visited.
Jessica's stay in London will include a visit to the House of Commons for a meeting with a member of Parliament, and visits to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. Cultural activities in Edinburgh will feature a performance of traditional Scottish music or dancing, and a visit to Edinburgh Castle.
There will be quaint villages and desolate castle ruins to view in Wales, as well as Snowdonia National Park, where students will visit the Llechwedd Slate Caverns, the underground world of the Victorian slate miners.
In Ireland, Jessica will attend an ``Irish Nights'' performance of ballads, dancing and old folk tales of the Kingdom of Kerry, and she will take a lake cruise and spend a day visiting villages in traditional Irish ``jaunting cars,'' or horse-drawn carriages.
Jessica will be expected to share her overseas experiences with schools and civic clubs when she returns.
A native of Smithfield, Jessica has a brother, Tobias, 9. Both of her parents are employed by the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth. Her mother is an accounting technician and her father, Thaddeus, a fabric worker.
Jessica, who is a member of the school's Beta Club, attended a summer enhancement program for gifted students at the Franklin Campus of Paul D. Camp Community College in 1993. She also participates in the Search Program for gifted students at Smithfield Middle School.
An active member of the Little Zion Baptist Church, Jessica is the newly elected president of ``Jesus and Me Ministries'' (JAMM), which involves the youth. She is a member of the choir and the usher board.
Since participating students and their families are responsible for trip expenses, Jessica plans several fund raisers in the next few months. Parents may apply for up to $500 in financial assistance, interest free, through People to People International, however.
``The cost of the trip, including spending money, will be about $5,000,'' Kathy Greene said.
``I plan to ask several sponsors to support the funding of my trip,'' Jessica said, ``and I'll bring back photos for all of my contributors so they can share in my experiences.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Jessica Greene will go overseas as a People to People Ambassador.
by CNB