Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Praising the 1998 Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy graduates, Charlie Adams said that they are the newsmakers of the future.
Adams, sports director at WSBT-TV channel 22 in South Bend, was the guest speaker at Wednesday night's graduation banquet at Center Lake Pavilion.
As a leader, Adams told the group, "Lead by example, because young people look up to you." He said that their examples should come from all aspects of their lives, including their lifestyles and friends.
Adams said he chose leadership in his life since the age of 21 and challenges those he leads to think about other things while working on one assignment to come up with ideas for other stories.
He pointed out leadership abilities of several coaches, including Warsaw Community High School's head basketball coach Al Rhodes.
"I admire him for his discipline," Adams said. "Some people say he's too tough, but discipline makes leaders."
He said that there was a time when former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz didn't feel that he was the best coach there was, but changed his mind when he was told that he wouldn't be the best if he didn't think that he was. Since that time, Adams said, Holtz tells other people that, as a leader, you've got to believe in yourself.
Adams also warned the high school juniors not to let criticism get them down. "People will always criticize," he said. "Learn from it."
KYLA moderator Tony Ciriello described this year's class as "the best of the best" and pointed out that this is one of the few youth leadership academies in the country.
"As an overall class, the intelligence level has astounded the board, myself and the speakers," Ciriello said. "To realize how smart this group is makes me wonder why we are educating you. You should be educating us."
This is the fifth year for KYLA, which was started through a White Paper Project by its adult equivalent, Kosciusko Leadership Academy. The group meets once a month for nine months during the school year and learns about various leadership aspects in the community, including government, religion and business.
Students also take on community projects and must present their work during a class session. This year, projects included starting or reviving SADD chapters at local high schools, working with youngsters during the Manchester College International Fair and HeadStart.
Each year, 25 students are selected from the junior classes of the the five high schools serving Kosciusko County.
The KYLA class of 1998 comprises:
• From Wawasee High School: Benjamin Ashpole, Kristi Brandon, Tabatha King and Jenny Workman.
• From Triton High School: Jena Bessinger, Lindsey Boyer, Brandon Chapman, Laura Petersen, Andy Price and Jennifer Young.
• From Whitko High School: Emily Brown, Adam Goble, Amanda Hatton, Marissalyn Hicks, Shana Miner, Stephanie Moore, Amanda Morphew, Stephanie Warner and Ian Webb.
• From Tippecanoe Valley High School: Kacey Kottkamp, Teri Neer and Tamar Strohschein.
• From Warsaw Community High School: Kathryn Masur, Chris Osbeck and Kyle Smith.
The KYLA board for the coming year, as announced at the banquet, are: Karen Bender, president; Joyce Parcell, vice president; Beth Czuba, secretary; John Sadler, treasurer; Dean Golden, curriculum; Christi Price, special events; Mike Szymanski, fund raising; Tony Ciriello, moderator; Coral Amspaugh, adviser; and Tamar Strohschein and Kathryn Masur, at-large members.
