Posted by Wes Baumann
This week’s meeting had 25 members in attendance.  Also joining us was Carol Callahan, representing the Winnetka Community House; ArLynn Presser, a former member who has expressed interest in rejoining our club; and Rick Börjesson, originally from Sweden and now living in Winnetka who plans on joining the Winnetka-Northfield Rotary.
 
President Tom announced that the ABCs of Rotary program that was to be held at RI has been postponed.  Stay tuned in for further information.  Keith Reed spoke to the Club about proposed changes to the raffle that we hold each week.  Currently when one buys tickets ($1 each or 6 for $5) they are hoping that their ticket will be pulled at the end of the meeting which then allows them to draw from a deck of cards.  If they draw the Ace of Hearts they get to collect half of the proceeds that have accumulated.  The rest of the money goes into the Club’s Charitable Foundation.  If the ace is not drawn the card is disposed of and the deck gets smaller.  It has been proposed that beginning in January the tickets of those who have won the weekly drawing and not pulled the Ace of Hearts be saved with the name of the weekly winners written on the tickets.  If at the end of the quarter no one has won the pot there will be a drawing of the weekly winners for a $25 cash reward.  This proposal would add a little more incentive to buy tickets, as there would now be a second chance to be a winner.  Thus at the first meeting in April there would be a drawing of weekly winners if no one had won the big pot and $25 would be given to the winner.  The winner does not need to be present at this drawing to collect the $25.
 
Happy Buck$ this week came from:  Barb Tubekis for the tremendous success of the 14th annual Martin Luther King “Service Day.”  600 people participated from as far north as Grayslake and as far south as Chicago.  The activities included making scarves and blankets for those less fortunate. Heidi Seibert put in $35 to mark her 35th anniversary in the landscaping business with James Martin Associates.  Ned Meisner was happy for the two weeks he spent with his grandchildren and the fact that he has his airline ticket to Ecuador.  ArLynn Presser was happy to be welcomed back to the W-N Rotary Club.  Wes Baumann provided some chuckles for Dig ‘n Grin.
 
The day’s speaker was introduced by David Birkenstein, our tireless Program Chair.  Dr. Whitney Sherman, a resident of Wilmette, introduced the club to the concept of a Gap Year program.  She is interested in strengthening intercultural learning initiatives through gap year counseling, teacher training and curriculum development.  Prior to starting her own consulting firm Dr. Sherman oversaw study abroad and global internships for the University of Southern California and Boston University.  She was also involved in building USC’s International Academy, an English as a Second Language program for students from over 30 countries.  She also managed educational programming for a local NGO in Niger, West Africa and taught English in France, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland.
 
The gap year is mainly directed at high school graduates, many who have been accepted into college, but for many reasons do not feel ready to go immediately following their high school graduation.  As a consultant she will meet with the student and their parents to determine if a year between high school and college is appropriate for the student.  At times students are not sure what major they want to study while attending an expensive school or they just don’t feel they are ready to go off to college.  Taking a year or even a semester before going to college is often beneficial to deepen practical, professional or personal self-awareness.  Often one can gain some practical experience in an area to see if it is a correct fit before investing thousands of dollars in schooling.  They may also test the waters by attending some classes at a local college.  An additional year can add confidence, discipline and maturity to an 18 year old.
 
A gap year can include foreign travel to gain cross-cultural awareness and cultural competency as well as foreign language proficiency.  Today less than 4% of teachers in the U.S. have studied abroad and thus have little international experience that they can pass on to their students.
 
Gap year experiences can include group programs, volunteer placements, internships and skill building courses. Dr. Sherman helps interested students and their parents plan a gap year.  Research shows that gap year alums change majors less, have higher GPAs and have higher employment rates.