Caiden Groce on the right and Keylin Reece pose before the WorldStrides backdrop during their trip to Washington, DC in June 2023.
July 2, 2023 Evensville, TN
Caiden Groce and Keylin Reece, represented Rhea Middle School at the Junior National Young Leaders Conference. The conference was held June 10-15, 2023 at the Bethesda Marriott. They were able to visit several Museums and Monuments during their conference. At the conference there were classes, where attendees studied changes they could perform in the environment, education and health systems. Both students are in Junior Beta Club and Eagles of Excellence. Mrs Amanda Shelton, counselor at Rhea Middle School nominated the students because of their contribution to the student body at Rhea Middle. Keylin is the daughter of Kevin and Angie Reece. Caiden is the son of Michael and Trina Graham.
Some of Caiden's hobbies and interests outside of sports and school are; Fishing, playing dulcimer, carving/woodwork, camping, learning to play piano by ear, training at the gym, reading books, experiencing new things, and exploring new ideas.
Caiden answered his interview questions and he gave some very detailed and interesting answers about his selection process, his school and his trip.
What were your favorite places you visited on your trip?
"I loved it all, but my very favorite places that they visited were The White house, Smithsonian, and Capital Hill."
How does it feel moving up to high school and give us your highlights from your 8th grade year at Rhea Middle School?
"My 8th grade year, I was part of The FCA Club, The National Junior Beta Club, and was also of The Eagles Of Excellence. I played the Tuba in band and received The Brass award at his Spring Concert. I played Football and received the MVP defensive award at his Football Banquet. I received the Science Award during 8th grade awards day and also received The Faculty Award during his 8th grade graduation. I am excited about moving on to highschool. He is most excited about all of his classes and the football season. I really enjoyed my middle school academics. Loved all my subjects."
Talk about how you felt when you received the notification, you were selected to represent your school in the Washington trip.
"As I was reading the letter I received in the mail, about being nominated to represent his school, I felt shocked, overwhelmed, and excited. It was really hard to explain. I had always dreamed of going to Washington DC , visiting the Smithsonian, and all the other historical places there are to see, learning more and more about history. I felt honored to have been chosen to go and represent his school and learn and grow in the process. I felt that it was a great opportunity to become a better person and learn to communicate better."
What are some of the highlights of the trip?
"I was excited that I got to go onboard the Gunboat Philadelphia, (aka USS Philadelphia), in the Museum Of American History. The ship and on the top floor of the museum. I knew all about this ship."
Describe some of the interesting aspects of the conference.
"Everything I learned at the conference was interesting. We learned how leaders help change the world. We were given the opportunity to explore our own thoughts and ideas and we were put into groups to do presentations. We learned how to put their own skills and knowledge to work, helping build our own leadership skills and become better leaders."
"We worked on public speaking and answering questions on the spot. That is something I struggle with, and I am still working on. We brought home our material to reflect back on and help along the way. I was pushed out of my comfort zone and we were encouraged to speak out. I really enjoyed learning and experiencing new ways and ideas that we could apply to our own lives, that would help improve ourselves and those around us."
Give some of your favorite memories of the trip.
"It was amazing and really fun meeting all the new people and interacting at the conference. I met people from all kinds of cultures and states. My roommate was from Texas and some of my new friends were from New York, Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii, and even met some people from Syria as well. My teacher was from Ghana. I met one of the senators of Arkansas during one of the visits and I also met four-time Olympian and breast cancer survivor, Chaunte Lowe, during the conference. She has an amazing story! She was our keynote speaker at the conference. My favorite eating place on the trip was the Ronald Reagan Food Court, inside The Reagan Building."