News Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2006
Contact: Elaine Kanellis
Voice: (703) 588-3265
Email: elaine.kanellis@hq.dodea.edu

DoDEA Announces 2007 United States Senate Youth Program Delegates

ARLINGTON, VA — David Michael Zumbach, a senior at Ansbach High School in Germany, and Kara Lynn Elder, a senior at Bitburg High School in Germany have been named as the Department of Defense Education Activity’s delegates to the 2007 United States Senate Youth Program.

The program, celebrating its 45th Anniversary in 2007, was endorsed by the U.S. Senate in 1962 and sponsored by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. It will bring high school students to Washington, D.C., from March 3-10, 2007, for a brief on-site introduction to the functions of the Federal Government and, in particular, the United States Senate. Two students and a first and second alternate are selected from each state, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). Delegates are selected to participate in the program based on their outstanding leadership abilities and a strong commitment to volunteer work. They also rank academically in the top one percent of their states.

The Hearst Foundation believes it is in the public interest to encourage the delegates to continue in their educational development and makes a $5,000 scholarship award available to each of the program participants.

Zumbach is the son of David and Anita Zumbach. He is the student body president, captain of the football and soccer teams, and a member of the National Honor Society and the Junior ROTC program. Zumbach plans on attending college in Colorado and studying Nuclear Engineering or Sports Medicine. He also hopes to join the Air Force ROTC program and receive a commission from the U.S. Air Force. He enjoys weight lifting, running, soccer, reading, snowboarding and wrestling.

Elder is the daughter of Gerald and Tamara Elder. She is the student council representative, member of the Model United Nations, Advisory Council, Pep and Concert Band, and Foreign Language Club. She has received outstanding student awards in French II and IV, German III and IV and Math Analysis. Kara plans to attend college and major in Russian and International Relations and hopes to become a language analyst at the National Security Agency.

Qualifying as first and second alternates for DoDEA are Andrew Garrett Hepler, a senior at Vicenza High School in Italy, and Aimee Hildenbrand, a senior at Taegu American High School in South Korea.

DoDEA plans, directs, coordinates, and manages the education programs for Department of Defense (DoD) dependents who would otherwise not have access to a high-quality public education. DoDEA consists of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) located overseas, and the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) located in the United States and its territories and possessions. DoDEA provides education to eligible DoD military and civilian dependents from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.

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