BECKER, Minn./EWORLDWIRE/July 17, 2006 --- Bjorn Commers of Clear Lake, a rising senior at Becker High School, recently attended the 2006 World Scholar Athlete Games, held June 24-July 2 at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. The weeklong event brought together an estimated 2,000 young scholar-athletes and scholar-artists from 157 countries and all 50 states to unite young people through sports, the arts and education. Bjorn was invited to participate in the games through his membership in the National Society of High School Scholars and accepted by application by the Institute for International Sport.
The Games format saw scholar-athletes and scholar-artists divided into culturally diverse groups to take part in either sporting or cultural pursuits and group discussions on global issues such as world peace, non-violence, world hunger, the environment, ethics and fair play, and various leadership programs.
Parent Barbara Commers said of the games, "It is amazing to see these bright, talented young men and women from all over the world compete together, perform together, discuss world issues together, and support each other. It is by far the most exciting and thought-provoking opportunity our son Bjorn has yet to experience during his high school years."
Speakers included Claes Nobel from the Nobel Peace Prize family and chair of The National Society of High School Scholars, Bill O’Reilly, former president William Jefferson Clinton, delegates from the United Nations, Pulitzer Prize-winning poets Mary-Ann Tirone Smith and Xue Di, author Sue Ellen Thompson, Olympic skier Bode Miller and senator George Mitchell. Nightly entertainment included several bands as well as stars from The Real World and Laguna Beach.
About The National Society of High School Scholars
The mission of The National Society of High School Scholars is to recognize and encourage academic excellence among the most exceptional high school upperclassmen. The Society selects students internationally and awards this distinction on a very limited basis. Membership is by invitation only, extended by Chair Claes Nobel.
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