AZYLC 2003 Delegates
Roman Aguayo – Sahuarita – Sahuarita High School
Aimee Aguilar – Glendale – Apollo High School
David Audelo – Nogales – Nogales High School
Megan Avilucea – Las Cruces – Mayfield High School
Mark Bailie – Fountain Hills – Fountain Hills High School
Austin Baker – Hayden – Ray High School
Anthony Barringer – Tempe – Westwood High School
Miranda Barry – Florence – Coolidge High School
Noelle Bartling – Glendale – Ironwood High School
Steven Bergeman – Phoenix – Shadow Mountain High School
Brian Odell Blevins – Phoenix – Apollo High School
Kris Blouir – Phoenix – Cortez High School
Carmellia Brown – Green Valley – Sahuarita High School
Katie Nicole Brown – Glendale – Moon Valley High School
Alexander Buck – Tucson – Catalina Foot High School
William Burkhardt – Bullhead City – Mohave High School
Kathryn Burnett – Tempe – Westwood High School
Tim Butler – Phoenix – Camelback High School
Thomas Campbell – Peoria – Cactus High School
Rachel Clovis – Phoenix – Greenway High School
Kyle Conway – Tucson – Marana High School
Stephanie Cooper – Glendale – Independence High School
Daniel Cruz – Hayden – Ray High School
Dylan Curtis – Mesa – Mesa High School
Ashley Nicole Dase – Waddell – Agua Fria High School
Ralph Davis – El Mirage – Dysart High School
Elizabeth Deptula – Chandler – Dobson High School
Anthony Drummond – Phoenix – Trevor Brown High School
Marco Estrada – El Paso – Hanks High School
Raymond Fain – Mesa – Mesa High School
Davina Felix – Sahuarita – Sahuarita High School
Joshua Freitas – Glendale – Cactus High School
Cesar Garcia – El Paso – Parkland High School
Daniel Garcia – Corona – Sahuarita High School
Kenneth Garnett – Tucson – BSA High School
Sabrina Gephart – Gilbert – Highland High School
Johnathan Gilman – Phoenix – Deer Valley High School
Jenna Giorsetti – Winkelman – Ray High School
Geoffrey Goins – Chandler – Corono del Sol High School
Rene Gonzales – EL PASO – Mountain View High School
Richard Gourley – Coolidge – Coolidge High School
Janie Grant – Florence – Coolidge High School
Michelle Hall – Scottsdale – Horizon High School
Julia Hansen – Bullhead City – Mohave High School
Jolene Harrington – Marana – Marana High School
Bryan Hendren – Bullhead City – Mohave High School
Lorena Heredia – EL PASO – Jefferson High School
Richard Herman – Chandler – Marcos High School
Mitchell Holly – Gilbert – Highland High School
David Leffers – Chandler – Marcos High School
Andrea Lessard – Phoenix – Thunderbird High School
Charles Littlefield – Bullhead City – Mohave High School
Giannais Manica – Phoenix – C Hayden High School
Andrew Marshall – Phoenix – Shadow Mountain High School
Patrick McAllister – Peoria – Peoria High School
Tyler McSpadden – Gilbert – Dobson High School
Christy Micaletti – El Paso – Hanks High School
Brad Nolan – Sierra Vista – Buena High School
Jim O’Callaghan – Phoenix – Cortez High School
Jaime Palmer – Mesa – Westwood High School
Jorge Perez – El Paso – Hanks High School
Steven Pokrant – Sahaurita – Sahuarita High School
Sharon Preiss – Phoenix – Carl Hayden High School
Kimberly Quesada – Tempe – Westwood High School
Matthew Rawlings – Phoenix – Moon Valley High School
Ramiro Rios – EL PASO – Chapin High School
Amanda Robertson – Phoenix – Sunnyslope High School
Evan Rutherford – Phoenix – Thunderbird High School
David Salas – Mesa – Mesa High School
Robert Scheib – Phoenix – Marcos High School
Dylan Scott – Sahaurita – Sahuarita High School
Shawn Scott – Sahuarita – Pimeria Alta High School
Kelly Steinkuehler – Tucson – Immaculate High School
Lois “Liz” Stern – Peoria – Peoria High School
Amanda Stuck – Tucson – Immaculate Heart High School
Neil Sweeney – Phoenix – Thunderbird High School
Raymond Tarango – Clint – San Elizario High School
Gregory Testo – Mesa – Red Mountain High School
Sandie Valenzuela – Phoenix – Carl Hayden High School
Sloan Valenzuela – Sierra Vista – Buena High School
Oscar Vazquez – Phoenix – Carl Hayden High School
Tim Villa – Glendale – Peoria High School
Marcella Vitulli – Mesa – Dobson High School
Sophia Volz – Mesa – Red Mountain High School
Jacqulyn Wilcox – Phoenix – Cesar Chavez High School
Joseph Woda – Chandler – Corono Del Sol High School
Trudeevia Woody – Many Farms – Chinle High School
Michelle Zamora – Avondale – Agua Fria High School
Alec Zimmermann – Tucson – BSA High School
AZYLC 2003 Summary
Arizona Youth Leadership: Actively preserving our civic inheritance
by Jeff Schrade for the MOWW Officer Review Magazine
The idea that human beings share a moral and civic inheritance that cannot be alienated is part of an American tradition that has its roots in the Declaration of Independence. Since 1776, we have passed the American civic inheritance down generation-to-generation. But this civic inheritance is a very fragile thing. The American civic inheritance does not manifest itself directly in physical form; rather it takes root in the minds of men. It is the independence that gave birth to the nation, it is the rugged individualism that let us conquer the West, it is the moral rectitude that led us into two world wars in Europe and it is the force of freedom that we spread in the world this very day.
Isn’t it a miraculous thing that our civic inheritance has made it this far? For, what avenues do we have in our society to explicitly protect it? Of course there is the US Constitution. Although we can count on the Constitution to protect our basic rights and to preserve the structure of our government, what exists that preserves the richer aspects of the American experience? The answer is “not nearly enough.”
The Arizona Youth Leadership Conference (AZYLC) is one of the rare institutions created expressly to preserve of our civic inheritance. Adhering to MOWW national patriotic education curriculum standards, the AZYLC has provided thousands of students over the last 13 years an active learning environment in which they can develop leadership characteristics. More than that, the content of AZYLC instruction covers important Arizona state educational standards at the high school level. AZYLC classes cover leadership, patriotism, American heritage and free enterprise. Often, we hear the remark from students that “wish my high school teacher would have explained it that clearly.”
With a focus on developing leadership in our youth and a curriculum centered on crucial educational content, the AZYLC also aims to create a bridge across generations. A particular session at this year’s AZYLC was especially illustrative of this point. The brainchild of AZYLC director companion Dick Minor, he referred to the session as the “Veterans Seminar.” This session consisted simply of a table with eight chairs attended by some of the decorated veterans who make up the AZYLC executive staff. No script, notes nor handouts were needed because this was simply an extemporaneous personal account of those who have served our military during defining moments of the last century.
At times, voices from behind the table cracked from emotion as these stories were relayed. At times, members of the audience wept openly when told of the atrocities that American troops have encountered in wartime. Throughout it was clear that each American generation without exception must bear the burden of preserving our civic inheritance, whether through patriotic education or through military service. But the overriding theme of this presentation was that the moral imperative of our country is peace. As Col. Minor put it, “Here are the greatest group of peacemakers on the face of the earth.”
As we stand on the precipice of war today, we acknowledge a very tangible threat to our way of life and our ability to safely pass on our civic inheritance. But let us not forget the equally insidious threat to our way of life: the deterioration of American values in the minds of our countrymen and especially our youth. Let us not lose sight of the unique role that Patriotic Education and the Youth Leadership Conferences play in the preservation of our civic inheritance for future generations.
