“Today’s Student —Tomorrow’s Leader” is the mission of Alabama Youth Leadership Program.

Jared Seale of Columbiana represented Shelby County High School at the leadership conference June 4-6 at Jacksonville State University.

One sophomore chosen from every Alabama high school receives a scholarship to attend the conference for free. The funding for Seale’s scholarship came from two Federated clubs of Columbiana — Culture and Vignette — which has been sponsoring the AYLP scholarship at SCHS for several years.

Seale is the oldest son of Mayor Pro Tem Tom Seale and wife Brenda, and the grandson of Bill and Carol Seale and Irene Cole, all of Columbiana.

He is a member of Columbiana United Methodist Church, where he and his brother, Jonathan, are active in its youth program.

Seale has been a member of the service volunteer organization, Beta Club, since seventh grade.

He has volunteered many hours for his church and community, in addition to the five required hours of all SCHS’s students.

Filling shoeboxes with personal supplies for the military was his favorite Beta project. He has also participated in Columbiana’s Cleanup Day, which is held before Liberty Day each year to help beautify our town.

Seale has been a member of the Scholars Bowl since sixth grade and became a varsity Scholars Bowl member in ninth grade.

The Scholars Bowl has been very successful, winning more than 50 percent of their challenges.

As a member of SCHS’s marching band led by Tom Grigsby, Seale has played trumpet since sixth grade. As a rising junior, he will continue to be a member of the band until graduation.

At AYLP, Seale met more than 80 rising juniors from Alabama high schools. Educator Dr. Jerry N. Patterson and Dan Smart from Vulcan Materials were the keynote speakers who gave inspiring and motivational speeches.

Seale’s favorite activities at AYLP were the creative thinking challenges. Seale’s group was successful in several of these challenges including the “toxic waste dump,” where the students were asked to move corn from one bucket to another using only a rope.

Seale also enjoyed the “survival” exercise to choose 10 objects that would keep him alive in a survival situation and explain why.

But most of all, this very intelligent yet slightly shy young man learned to reach out and lead.

“I am so glad I did it. It helped me come out of my shell,” Seale said.

Phoebe Donald Robinson can be reached by e–mail at phoeberobinson@bellsouth.net.