April 30, 2007

PINEY WOODS SCHOOL

Our guest today is Reginald G. W. Nichols, new President of Piney Woods School, the widely recognized boarding school established in 1909 on a rural site south of Jackson. A former Rotarian in San Antonio, he is now a member of the Jackson Rotary Club.

NEXT WEEK’S PROGRAM

Continuing our emphasis on education, our next week’s guest speaker will be Dr. Frances Lucas, President of Millsaps College. Bill Foster is program chairman.

LAST WEEK AT ROTARY

Invocation and Pledge : Ernie George.

Attendance : . There were 128 members (91 active, 36 exempt, and 1 honorary) present and 69 members (43 active, 18 exempt, 7 honorary) missing.

Visitors and Guests : Visiitng Rotarians were Denis Baran of Touls, France, and GSE Team Leader Niek Stylen of Rotterdam Nieuwe dag, The Netherlands. Guests included Ann Chiles of Frank Chiles; Bret Clesi of Bill Parrish; Buddy Johnston of Gary D. Jackson; Burak Eksiozlu and Graham Wells of Chester McKee; Chris Latimer of George Sherman; and Trey Breckenridge of Joe Thompson. Club guests included Bonnie Hardin and Ginger Jones (GSE hosts); Prune and Claire Baran; Emma Lagrange; and Exchange Students Marie Baran and Ruth Schorling.

New Member : Richard Blackbourn, MSU Dean of Education, attended his first meeting as a Rotarian. He was sponsored by Sandra Harpole.

Meeting Notes : Keith Remy reported that Exchange Students Ruth and Marie are on the SHS Honor Roll for achieving straight A’s. He said Ruth’s trip to New York City with the Starkville High School Choir to sing in Carnegie Hall was made possible by six individuals who covered half the cost with the club covering the balance. He noted that Marie plans to participate in the MSU Summer Scholars program with Rotary support.

President-Elect Ned Browning distributed sign up sheets for 2007-08 committee preferences.

President Mullins announced meetings of the Classification/Membership and Ambassadorial Scholars Committees and the Board of Directors.

MARIE INTRODUCES HER FAMILY

It’s not often that Rotarians get to meet the parents of Rotary Youth Exchange Students. Thus, it was extra special to have Marie’s family fly from France to spend 10 days with us, getting a taste of what their daughter has been experiencing in Starkville. Marie introduced her parents, Denis and Prune, sister Claire, and best friend Emma, who stayed with the Tom Cathcarts, Marie’s first host family.

Denis, who is a Rotarian in Toul, France, briefly addressed the club. Although he apologized for his French accent, Marie’s father spoke sincerely and eloquently to express his appreciation to the Club, host families, and individuals who have made Marie’s stay with us a memorable and life-changing experience.

Thank you, Marie, for sharing your family with us at Rotary and throughout their 10-day visit. Marie saw her family off from GTR Thursday then left for Jackson and later that afternoon spoke to Rotarians attending the District Conference.

GSE VISITORS FROM THE NETHERLANDS

The Group Study Exchange Team from District 1600 in The Netherlands saw their first American baseball game from Left Field Lounge, attended the Cotton District Festival, went turkey hunting, and got a brief tour of Mississippi State during their weekend visit in Starkville. They ended their visit by speaking at our Monday noon meeting and giving us a new insight into their country.

Shelton Jones introduced the team leader, Niek Stijlen, a retired civil engineer and charter member of an early morning Rotary Club in Rotterdam. Shelton said that after hosting Niek and meeting the team members, he and Ginger probably would be altering their travel plans to make The Netherlands their destination.

Rotarian Niek introduced the four bright and very personable young professionals who comprised the team which had just completed its first week in District 6820.

Marije van Manneckes, 32, is an educational advisor at the country’s largest medical center located in Rotterdam. She is a classical ballet dancer and has traveled widely.

Dounia El Baracka, 27, has a degree in art education and recently started her own marketing and communication company is The Hague. Her father is Moroccan and her mother is Dutch.

Maarten Schott, 27, is responsible for financial consolidation and reporting of TNT, a global express and mail provider currently serving 8 European countries.

Mathijs Dijkman, 25, just completed his Masters in Coastal Engineering and is doing freelance consulting on technical water projects. He spent two internships in New Orleans studying the damage wrought by Katrina.

The team members used a well done powerpoint presentation, each sharing different facts about their country in a most interesting and entertaining program.

The Netherlands has a population of 16.5 million in a third of the land area of Mississippi. It is comprised of 12 provinces and has three major rivers. Holland is the name for two of the provinces – South Holland is the site of the three largest cities (The Hague, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam).

Shipol International Airport is the ninth largest in Europe with 41 million passenger and 418,000 flights annually. Rotterdam is the country’s largest port. The Netherlands has the 16 th largest economy in Europe and is home to many multinationals (Shell, Heineken, Unilever, et al). It is a kingdom, but the queen’s role an advisory one. Politically, the country is a parliamentary representative democracy with a parliament comprised of the lower house and senate with the government headed by a prime minister rather than a president.

Surrounded by water – the North Sea and rivers – and 26% below sea level, the Dutch are masters at water management and civil engineering. They protect their country from the sea with natural defenses and levees (dikes) and pumps. After a major flood in 1953, they developed The Delta Works, a system of flood gates and structures considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

Twenty percent of the population of The Netherlands are immigrants – mostly from Turkey, Morocco, Suriname, and the Dutch Antilles. Forty percent of the people are unaffiliated with a religion, 30% are Roman Catholic, 26% are Protestant, and 4% are Muslim.

Dutch and Frisian are the official languages, English and German are second languages. Education is compulsory through 12 grades and health care is universal through required insurance.

The GSE Team left after Rotary to continue their rounds of District Rotary Clubs and were on the District program in Jackson before going on to Vicksburg and Natchez.

Thanks to Roy Ruby and the GSE committee for coordinating the visit of the Dutch team. Special thanks to Shelton and Ginger Jones, Martha and Graham Wells, and Carey and Bonnie Hardin who hosted the team members.

As President Larry remarked, last Monday’s meeting was a demonstration that Rotary is truly international.

The Netherlands GSE Team members were hosted by Russ Rogers and Steve Langston in Left Field Lounge for the MSU - LSU Friday night baseball game. Shown here with President Larry Mullins are Maarten Schot, Larry, Mathijs Dijkman, Dounia El Baraka, and Marije van Manneckes. Not pictured is team leader Niek Stijlen