Youth

The Shelton Challenge is a one week summer experience for rising freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. It will be held June 12-17, 2011 at Urbana University.

Shelton's cornerstones of values based leadership - honesty, integrity, compassion, diversity, and social responsibility - are the foundations of the experience. The core curriculum focuses on Leadership Roles and Accountability, Team Building, Leadership Styles and Situations, Social Responsibility, Integrity as a Leader, Public Speaking, Changing Behaviors, and Goal Setting. Urbana University is the only institution in the Midwest offering this program.

General Hugh Shelton, US Army Retired, served as the 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1997 until his retirement in 2001. The NC State Alumnus and Tarboro, North Carolina native is a decorated combat veteran of the Vietnam War and was the first member of the elite US Army Special Forces to rise to the nation's top military post. In September 2002 he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by the United States Congress. The General now lead's NC State's General Hugh Shelton Leadership Center and serves as a powerful example of leadership excellence.

By attending this program, each participant will:

1. Participate in team building activities focused on the cornerstones of values based leadership.
2. Assess personal leadership skills and practice leading teammates daily.
3. Through teamwork, practice interpersonal skills, leadership styles, goal setting, how to motivate others, personal presence and public speaking, ethical decision making and how to change behaviors.
4. Participate in a service project in a local community.
5. Develop and practice skills related to self and team reflection to relate current experiences to future applications, with the ultimate intent of continuous character improvement.
6. Participate in fun night activities such as an ice cream social, talent show, dance or game night.

Applications for the 2011 Challenge are available online.  Go to http://www.urbana.edu/images/uploads/forms/shelton/participant_shelton_application.pdf to access.

For more information please contact Nick Christian at 937-484-1417.

To the graduates of the Teen Leadership Academy, congratulations and good luck in the future!

Joe Ahern, Cassie Bentley, Allison Bosworth, Brittany Davis, Lauren Dill, Robin Espich, Sarah Fries, Nathan Grove, Olivia Jackson, Natasha Miller, Nickolas Nelson, Kelly Sell, Elizabeth Shade, Ashley Smith, Sarah Stengel, Corinne Thaxton, Andrew Towns, Jordan Turner, Hillary Wagner, and Trevor Winner.

Natalie Brugger, Adam Burris, Natasha Cheek, Cecilia Cohn, Travis Collier, Lindsay Eckurd, Hannah Gundolf, Megan Loveless, Carly Marks, Caitlyn Massie, Thomas Nance, Kiaya Nelson, Daniel Pelfrey, Chelsea Pendergrass, Ann Randall, Ashley Rutan, Mercedes Sells, Jessica Shanahan and Michael Smith.

Dylan Bair, Erika Birt, Christopher Combs, Kelsey Eastham, Maggie Eckstein, Katie Finney, Darby Flanigan, Cody Johnson, Mersedes Kennedy, Cheyenne McNutt, Kelsey Oakley, Josh Olden, Erik Thomas, Austin Wilson and Molly Ziegler.