The elevator doors opened, revealing a dozen high school students, none from the United States. From the back came the not-so-subtle greeting “Yo, Ned.”

It was Ana Laura Reinaldo Constantino, the Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) student from Tupã, Brazil. She is one of the two RFE students at Port Townsend High School; the other one is Roxanne Monique Bianche Coldefy from Rodez, France. Intira “Pang” Ponyiam from Ayutthaya, Thailand is at Chimacum High. They are the local three of the 31 outstanding RFE students from 23 countries coming to the end of their year here in northwest Washington or Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I was with them and about 600 Rotarians from this area at the annual district conference, held this year at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort.

The RFE program selects outstanding students from around the world to spend their junior year in high school here. In addition, the program selects similarly highly achieving students from the U.S. to spend their junior year abroad. All of these students apply for this program and are selected for it knowing their role is to represent the best their country offers and be ambassadors for peace in the world.

SEEDS OF UNDERSTANDING

The experiences the students have – and provide – are seeds planted to grow greater understanding and tolerance among the people of this planet. BJ and I have hosted Pang for the past several months and have grown to understand much more about Thailand, Pang’s community and her family.

Her older sister married in March, and many locals have seen the wonderful video showing Pang’s home, friends, family and even a couple of RFE students who attended the wedding at the home of Pang’s family.

One of the RFE students was from France, the other from Ohio. Unfortunately, we still struggle with tolerating the spices she generously pours on her own food. Even her friends Ana and Roxanne struggle with that part of Pang’s culture.

Chimacum High School has four outbound students during this school year. They are Emma Craighead, who is in Poland; Erin Crouch, who is in Finland; Logan Shaw, who is in Norway; and Halli Trafton, who is in Belgium. By all reports, these students continue to do well academically and are representing their families, their school and all of us as they exhibit leadership and integrity in foreign lands.

Chimacum’s Molly Meissner is heading to Belgium next school year as an RFE student, while her mother, Whitney Meissner, moves on from being Chimacum High’s principal to La Conner’s district superintendent. Just for the record, Whitney’s son Jack is headed to the University of Washington.

Consequently, I suspect all of them will represent Chimacum well even as they head out for newer and bigger challenges.

Being around these young people infuses us with the energy of youth, but then you think of what Sam Levenson said: “One of the virtues of being very young is that you don’t let facts get in the way of imagination.”

Could it be healthy to ignore the facts and just get on that elevator?

(Port Ludlow resident Ned Luce writes this column weekly. Contact him at

nedluce@sbcglobal.net.)