MSSISSIPPI: Sixteen year old junior at Pascagoula High, Davinder Singh, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Balwant Singh ‘was among the finalists for selection to attend the international seminar as Mississippi representative.

“The seminars are offered at no cost to students or the schools,” said Scott D. Thomson, executive director of the National ‘Association of Secondary School Principals, “They provide an excellent way to recognize and encourage youth during an important period in their lives”.

HOBY State Seminars are conducted in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbus, and Ontario, Canada, During the state events a boy and girl were selected for attend the all expense paid weeklong HOBY International Leadership Seminar during August in Indianapolis, coordinated by Indiana University Purdue Us versity at Indianapolis.

HOBY ambassadors were chosen especially on incentive and demonstrated leadership ability as well as academics, overall personality, and teacher evaluation, The program is the only one in the country exclusively for high school sophomores.

“They are going to have juniors, but I don’t know how they are going to go about choosing them. I have written and expressed a desire to be a junior ambassador”.

Davinder said the experience will help her in the future. “It helps in all aspects of life,” she said. “It helps motivate us to do us our best in life”,

“If I plan to run for student office it will help me communicate with students”. She was recently elected student council reporter for the 1986-87 year at PHS. “It will help with any job I might apply for”.

As a sophomore at the PHS Annex during the 1985-86 year, Davinder was a delegate to the state Student Council Convention, member of the Beta Club Quiz Bowl Team and selected to participate in the first Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Youth Camp. She placed first in the PHS Science and Engineering Fail, second in the Pascagoula city fair, third in the regional competition, and third again in the state contest. She received the US, Department of Energy Award of the State science fair.

Davinder was presented achievement awards in Honors English Il, advanced placement European history, biology T, German I, and Typing I during her 10th grade year. She received the sophomore citizenship award and the Outstanding Sophomore Student Council Award.

She attended 1986 National Beta Club Convention in Washington, D.C., and served as homeroom president last year. Davinder is an IDEAS student adn candy stiper at Singing River Hospital.

She said speakers talked to them after each session, followed by a ‘question and answer period. Joan Reed, the teacher in space for Mississippi, was among the guests.

“The president of the Mississippi Bar Association came and spoke to us”, Davinder said, “We had a lot of activities that expressed leadership in the community, state and nation”.

“It was really an exciting experience everybody was so motivated to lead and to show leadership”.

‘Communication was emphasized. “They made us feel special and motivated, and they gave us self-confidence she said.

HOBY began in 1958 when Hugh O’Brian returned from Africa, highly inspired after a nine day visit working and talking with Dr. Albert Schweitzer. Later that year, O’Brian, while portraying the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp on television, decided to make his ‘own contribution to society by establishing the HOBY Foundation, He chose youth development as the most promising enterprise that the foundation could sponsor. Beware of AntiSikh Rumours

Article extracted from this publication >> November 21, 1986