BHS, RHS Students at Nobel Peace Laureate Summit This Week

Editor's Note: The following is a release from the Valley View School District.

Three dozen high school students are front and center this week at the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Chicago.

“They’ve been counting down the days for a while now,” said ’s Social Studies Chair Chuck Marik Tuesday before the bus left for the Summit’s second day of activities at University of Illinois Chicago. “It’s a rare opportunity because this has never been held in North America before."

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these kids to see the people we study about like (former Soviet President Mikhail) Gorbachev, (former Poland President) Lech Walesa, the Dalai Lama,” added Social Studies Chair Doug Darguzis. “To be in the same room with these people, not many Americans can say that and now we get to experience it with our kids.”

Valley View was one of only 12 school districts outside of the City of Chicago to be invited to witness portions of the three-day Summit in person. Students were scheduled to attend four panel discussions featuring nine Nobel Peace Prize winners in two days.

“I’m really interested to see the discussion on One Person Can Make a Difference,” said BHS senior Jason Kuntz.

“I’m excited to see what these world leaders think about our world today,” said RHS senior Katie Nives. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so honored to be chosen to go.”

BHS seniors Hannah Stanford, Joslin Benavides and Taylor Jordan all talked about how excited they were to be a part of the event.

“I’m excited to actually be in the room with these people,” Benavides said.

“I want to listen to all their different views about the problems in the world today,” added Jordan.

It’s great that they invited local high school kids,” Marik said. “It probably won’t sink in for some of them how unique this is until they get a little older.”

In addition to Gorbachev, Walesa and the Dalai Lama, other Peace Prize winners expected at the Summit include former President Jimmy Carter, former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias, former South African President Frederick de Klerk, Iranian lawyer and former judge Shirin Ebadi, American activist Jody Williams, and Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus.