By:Matthew Armstrong
A student at the South
Brunswick High School will be ex
tending his school year by two
weeks this Ju
ne.
This,
however, is not a punishment for
truancy or underachievement. It is
an honor bestowed on a select few
for their excellen
ce.
Sean
O’Brien, a junior, is among 200
high school students in America
and 35 countries selected to partici
pate in the two-week National Stu
dent Leadership Conference this
summer at American University in
Washington,
D.C.
“I’m re
ally excited,” said Sean. “It should
be a great experien
ce.”
The ob
ject of the program is to develop
students’ knowledge and their abili
ty to think on their feet, to think
critically and communicate effec
tively.
The
program recognizes outstanding
leaders from around the world, and
provides them with a learning envi
ronment that encourages academic
achievement, diversity and social
responsibil
ity.
Pat
Leary, a counselor at the high
school, nominated Sean for the pro
gram and he was accepted. Stu
dents accepted to the program can
chose to participate in a conference
on Peer Leadership, Medicine or
Law and Advoca
cy.
Sean
chose to participate in the Law and
Advocacy conference. The confer
ence includes mock trials, and de
bates and guest speakers such as
Attorney General Janet Reno, Sec
retary of State Madeline Albright,
and Supreme Court Justice David
Souter.
Sean
became interested in law while tak
ing a business and personal law
class as a freshman at the high
school.
“I en
joy arguing, so law interested me,”
said Sean. “This gives me the op
portunity to see if I really like law
and if I want to pursue it in col
lege,” said Sean.
