Congratulations to our 2026 Jr. RYLA participantsThis year the Welland Rotary Club sent 4 students to Jr. RYLA, on the weekend of May 1-3.
The students that attended this year were Ellie Barbour, Amirah Olooto, Hannah Leone, and Logan Neufeld, all of the Welland Centennial Secondary School
The students worked in groups to prepare presentations on topics that were important to them and presented on Sunday morning.
Topic presentations included: Taking AI out of the schools; student stress; grades being more important than the students and silencing social media.
The presentations were all very informative and thought provoking.
There were several Rotary members, from various clubs, including Welland Rotary member, Brenda Dennis, that attended the Sunday morning festivities and had lunch with the campers.
Our own Logan Neufeld was selected by his group of peers for the Fred Farnham Award. The criteria for this award included:
Radiated Main Character Energy and brought a sunny disposition to every session
The Ultimate Glue. Used humour to de-escalate stress or make a difficult task feel like a win
Protecting the Vibe. Made people smile and ensured that the “lore” of their cabin was inclusive and kind
Resilient Optimism. Stayed positive when things got messy.
The reward was a Balloon Animal Kit so that Logan can carry on Fred’s legacy of making the world a little lighter.
The 4 students that attended Jr. RYLA, on behalf of the Welland Rotary Club, will be attending a Rotary meeting On June 2nd to share their experiences with our club members.
PHOTO (L to R): Ellie Barbour, Amirah Olooto, Hannah Leone and Logan Neufeld