Welcome!  We are excited to share with you more about our National Leadership Council (NLC) class.  See the class bios below for leader and student profiles.

If you have an interest in following our events and discussions, visit the Blog, Calendar, and Media pages. These online resources are still under construction, so please check back as we will be posting more details.

Thank you for your interest!  

NLC - Class of 2013: Bios

2013 Class Leaders

Jennifer Dale

Jen has been DiscoveryBound’s Northwest Regional Coordinator since 2003, including working with chapters in Washington, Oregon and Northern California; leading DB’s 2006 Australia trip; helping plan Focus on the Arts in New York City in 2008; and building bridges for CS organizations serving youth to work together.

She’s passionate about her work with Sunday School workshops and Summits in her region and encourages all NLC students to be involved.

Though she has a background in dance, theater, and design, she loves working with people most and sees this NLC experience as an incredible opportunity for all of us to be in the Christian Science practice as we nurture one another and live our unlimited potential. This is the most rewarding work of all!

Jen is a graduate of Principia College and lives in Northern California with her husband, Bill, and younger son, Wyatt. Her daughter Ariana, a member of the 2011 NLC class, attended The Link School for Christian Scientists in Colorado, and her sonChristopher recently joined the Marines.

Skiing, biking, writing, and mentoring the youth in her life are her hobbies. Being a part of NLC is certainly an honor and joy!

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Mark Bailey

I have been involved with A/U since 1998, working four years for DiscoveryBound and volunteering thereafter. When work and family life allow, I frequently make it to the national events to help organize the logistics of the event.
I gratefully accepted the invitation to be a co-leader for this class for a few reasons: 1) Jen is an incredible person to work alongside; 2) The class proved to be an incredible group of people. I grew up in Christian Science, however did not attend any CS summer camps as a kid. So now I’m making up for lost time.
Professionally, I am a real estate agent in Denver, CO. In the past, I have worked in recreation management, graduated from Lafayette College for undergrad and University of Denver for graduate school.
Personally, my interests are heavy in sports. Skiing, soccer, running, baseball, basketball, golf, climbing 14ers…you name it. My biggest focus of all is my near 6 year old son, Blake who I have on a ½ time basis.
Finally, I enjoy traveling and visiting my family as often as possible (parents in Utah and sister and family in Santiago, Chile).

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2013 Class Members

Amy

I’m an honor student at my school, play the saxophone in the band and compete for the school soccer, track, and basketball teams. My favorite subject is geometry, and this year I am participating in the American Math Championships (AMC) as well as attending the Young Round Square Conference for teens interested in international understanding and service.

My main interest outside of school is participating in track and field. I compete in the pentathlon, high jump, long jump, and hurdles, and have gone to the USA Track & Field Junior Olympics twice. I have been attending Sunday school regularly at my local Christian Science church since I was five years old. A few years ago I started attending DiscoveryBound events and last summer I went to Adventure Unlimited (A/U) in Colorado for the first time. My great experience at A/U camp was what convinced me I wanted to be part of the NLC class of 2013.

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Andi

I like sports, playing in the band, and eating black licorice ice cream! I play volleyball, and was on the school volleyball team but now since the season's over I am on a travel team. I also play softball (centerfield) and
basketball (point-guard). I play percussion in the band. My favorite things to play are the bongos. I'm in CASS (Creating A Safer School) this year and it's really fun. I plan on doing it all through high-school. I also love going to A/U and for two years I have been in the Challengers Program. My dream college would be Stanford University.

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Cassidy

I am so thrilled to be a part of NLC!

Because I previously attended an International School, I got to really respect diversity in cultures, faiths and talents. So I really enjoy working as a team to attain common goals — like winning a national dance competition with my dance team, and peaking a 14,000-foot-mountain at C.S. summer camp!

Community service has always been a part of my life with my family and through school. Ever since I turned seven, I stopped accepting presents at parties, and organized projects or donations for charities instead.

Because of where I grew up, I love the outdoors, so preserving it is important to me. On a normal weekend, you could find me at the mountains skiing or hiking, or the beach camping. Along with that, I dance quite a few hours a week, and love to perform!

My goals are to always be kind, optimistic, and attentive to other people’s feelings and needs. But most of all, to always be myself, and make a difference!

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Collin

My name is Collin.

I am a funny guy who likes to laugh and have fun. I like making people laugh. My friends, family and “Mr. Bean” make me laugh.

I love my family and Duke, our family dog. I have an older brother and a twin sister. I really like playing soccer. I play club soccer because I like the challenge and competitiveness of the team and league. I also like playing the drums. I play in our school Symphonic Band and Jazz Band. I really enjoy playing in the Jazz Band because I get to play the full drum set. Another musical interest is singing and I plan to take choir in high school. In my spare time you might find me building things. It could be a range of working with metal or making Origami with paper. I have recently built an outdoor table and a water fountain. Currently, I am restoring an old rusty stingray bike. Outdoor activities like camping and riding mountain bikes are things I enjoy doing. I also like riding motorcycles. Our family owns four motorcycles that we ride when we go camping. It’s fun to ride in between the trees and through the creeks. I like to go camping with my Boy Scout troop. I am active in my troop as a Troop Guide. As a troop guide I work with the Scoutmaster and Senior Patrol Leader and am expected to be an example to younger scouts. I am currently working towards my Eagle Scout.

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Dean

This past year the presidential election took over my life. I was actually an Edwards supporter in the beginning but after he dropped out of the primaries, I became a devout supporter of Obama. The election has changed my life in many ways. I now want to be a lawyer and then a politician. I also noticed how much of a difference each person can do for their communities.

For fun I play tennis and run with my friends in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. I ski and wrestle in the Winter. I also really love playing dodgeball.

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Denali

I live in the Sierra Nevada foothills on five acres.

I would describe myself as talkative, outgoing, and focused. My name literally means ‘tall one’ or ‘great one’ in Athabaskan (an Alaskan Indian Tribe), referring to Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America (seen below). I am an avid Christian Scientist, and attend many DiscoveryBound events.

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Gwen

Hi! I’m Gwen.

The most important things in my life are my friends and family, sports, and school. I have an older brother, and my mom and dad are so supportive and I couldn’t live without them.

My main sports are softball and cross country, and I play hockey as well. I have a passion that’s like a light inside me that you can’t put out for softball, as well as running. Whenever I need to think about something, I take a run. Whenever I need exhileration, I take out my glove and bat and throw a few balls around. My goal is to make the varsity softball team by tenth grade. As well as sports, I also play the flute, and played the piano for six years until I got more serious with flute, so I had to discontinue piano. I go to church every Sunday, and I LOVE My Bible Lesson. I met my best friend Ina at A/U Ranches, a Christian Science camp in Colorado. I am a member of the National Junior Honor Society, and volunteer at nursing homes quite often to play my flute. For community service, I love walking dogs for the SPCA.

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Hannah

My name is Hannah, over the years I have had a growing love for sailing and marine biology. I love sailing because when I am sailing there is nothing to worry about. You are just out there having fun with the sun shining
and the wind in your hair. My favorite sailboat is the lazar because you can go really fast and it is a great racing boat.

I love marine biology because besides the fact I that I have a huge love for the ocean I love the animals in it. When I grow up I inspire to be a marine biologist and work with all kinds of animals. However mostly sharks, dolphins, and whales. I choose these animals because they all have something very significant about them. Some whales are going instinct and they need all the help they can get. Dolphins are very intelligent. I believe have things that can still be discovered with that huge brain. As for sharks I am just fascinated by them. I have dissected five nursing sharks but my favorite is the great white.

I hope this helps you learn more about me, thank you.

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Holly

I’m Holly, and I go to a church nearby and am also involved in local Discovery Bound activities. We are working on forming a teen advisory group, and I would like to join once it is set up. I also attended the DiscoveryBound Leadership Conference and the TMC Youth Spiritual Summit in Chicago.

Two of my greatest interests in service are animals and the environment. I went to the Florida trip with Discovery Bound, which included both of those areas.

I really like sports and dance and was on the basketball team for a year. Now, I have dance training several times a week. I take ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, pointe, and company with my studio, Bataille Academie of the Danse, and I am also in Midwest Dance Collective. I also love musical theater and have performed in musicals including Godspell and Cinderella, and later in the year I will be performing in Grease. I also like photography and art. I am not currently involved too much in either of those, but I like them during my free time. Next year I plan on joining choir and Orchesis and also might join the madrigal group.

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Japhet

My name is Japhet French, currently an eighth grader at a private Montessori School in Pembroke, New Hampshire. I've gone to Montessori for the past eight years.

My hobbies include origami, soccer, piano, jewelry making, acting/film, woodworking, robotics, fireworks and more. I’m always my own person and like to make my own decisions. Christian Science has, is and will play a major part in my life. I've had many healing through Christian Science and can’t wait to have more healing experiences to increase my understanding of God. I go to Sunday School every week and have missed it only to go to DiscoveryBound events and Crystal Lake Camp, in which case I get to Sunday School anyway. I also go to the Wednesday Testimony Meetings every week and give testimonies whenever I have had a healing. I love Christian Science and DiscoveryBound and NLC sounds like a great way to combine those two things.

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Jessica

Hi, this is Jess.

I am a down to earth type of person. I am always joyful and full of life, trying to make jokes and make life just a little more fun. I love laughing with friends; yet quiet time keeps me content. I have many hobbies including dance, piano, and reading. I have been dancing for five years and was really excited to go on to Pointe this year in ballet. I also have been playing the piano for about five years. I play a variety of music, but I enjoy playing contemporary music the most. I like to cuddle up with a good book and lose myself in a world of adventure. I love it when a book really makes me think and causes me to look at the world with a different view.

I love to be outdoors. I enjoy going camping with my family; mom and dad, my other brother Matthew, and my twin brother Collin. We like to go on hikes, water ski, ride dirt bikes, and sit around the campfire singing songs.

My favorite vacations have been road trips visiting National Parks and exploring our beautiful country. One of my favorite quotes is: “Life is not measured by the breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away.”

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Jordan

My name is Jordan, but most of my friends call me Jo or Jojo. I was born in December. I have an older brother (I call him my “big bother”) named JJ. I’ve lived in California, Colorado, Missouri, and Colorado. My hobbies include running, drawing, reading, singing, playing the clarinet, and serving on student council . I run because I love the freedom, the thinking time, the spiritual growth that comes with anything you’re serious about, and the confident powerful feeling I get finishing every run. Drawing, like

running, has a certain freedom to it. I take art lessons outside of school. I carry a book everywhere that I’m allowed too. Every night I’ll make myself tea and visit other worlds. I enter the reading zone. I love student council because I have the opportunity to lead by doing all sorts of things. That’s who I am and what I do. It just is.

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Meg

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Niklas

My name is Niklas and I was born in Hamburg, Germany in the same house where my grandfather was born. My mom is German and my dad is American, but he spent two years at university in Sweden, so we are an international family. We travel to Germany a lot and I especially like the food there.

I have three sisters, two big dogs, a cat and a mouse. I have been studying violin for seven years and play in a youth orchestra. I also play the trombone in my school band. I love to play and hope to always have music in my life. My middle school puts on a big musical show every year and I was just selected to be one of the five main baseball players in the play "Damn Yankees". Singing and dancing on stage is new for me, but I like the challenge. I also play soccer and was selected for the sectional All-Star team. In the spring I play baseball, first base and pitcher. I am a left-handed pitcher and that helps me be put into positions that are more difficult for right-handed players. I like to built things and have a great imagination.

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Parker

Hi, I’m Parker, almost 14 years old and I like baseball. I’m planning to play baseball in high school, which is my favorite sport. I’ve played baseball for 7 years. Some other sports I played when I was younger were ice hockey, soccer, basketball, and swim team. Outside of school, scouts and sports are really the only two other things I do. I like to go to the pool in the summer with my sister and cousins. I also like to play with my dog, Pepper, and think its fun to drive my remote controlled car.

I have a small family that includes my sister Brooke, my mom Cindy, my dad Bob and my dog Pepper who’s a Golden Retriever. My sister is 11 and in the 6th grade and my dog is 4 years old. I’ve lived in Colorado all my life. It’s a great place for skiing, hiking and snowboarding, but I haven’t tried snowboarding yet but plan on learning this winter. I am really excited about NLC and getting to know more Christian Scientist.

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Reese

My name is Reese.

I love to play sports with most of my free time. I especially love soccer, track, and swimming. I am the captain of my school swimming team. I am currently on my school soccer team, which is one game away from district champions. I also enjoy reading in my spare time. I have recently completed the final book, Breaking Dawn, of the Twilight series, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am proud of the fact that for the past six years, I worked towards, and achieved, a third degree black belt in Taekwondo. I am also taking drama class in school. This is my second year in drama, and I was the technical director of the school play. I do not have a lot of time to watch TV, but when I do, my favorite show is “Psych”.

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Robin

I have been going to a Christian Science Sunday School my whole life, and I really enjoy it. Some things I like to do are play soccer and basketball, and I also do track and swimming. In my free time, I love to be with my friends. At my school last year, our budget was cut and some friends and I went to our principal to see if we could help in any way. We decided to create a school fund-raising committee. After working with the school board, we made the committee’s first school fundraiser which turned out great! From then on, I have really liked the idea of servant leadership. I am excited to have more opportunities to strengthen my servant leadership skills in the National Leadership Council.

Apart from sports and leadership, I really like art and I am planning on taking a lot of art classes in high school. I also play french horn in the school band. A few summers ago, I went to a Christian Science summer camp in Colorado and had so much fun! I loved the experience and I am really looking forward to going there again with this group.

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Robiny

Throughout my life, my interests have varied and expanded. I have always been very athletic. I'm really in to soccer, and plan to play lacrosse for the first time this spring. I love running and biking in the summer, as well as going on walks with my dog. My family owns two horses currently, which we keep on our property. Although I haven't participated in very many shows, I enjoy going out with my mom to practice jumping or dressage, or just going on a long trail ride. Often, I will go out bareback with just a halter and walk around the fields by myself. It is at these times that I really feel in harmony with my horse.

Another huge part of my life is music. I have played piano since age 7 and currently have a very demanding teacher, who has challenged me in more ways than I can count. I also enjoy singing, and have taken singing lessons off and on over the past few years. I have participated in two of our school musicals, and sing constantly around the house... whether my brother likes it or not. I love drama and in addition to the two school musicals, I was in one other play last spring as a game show host and am currently working on another play which we will perform this Spring. Drama has forced me to grow in many ways. From stage fright, to having to deal with a difficult director, drama has taught me to trust in God for His guidance and support.

Despite my busy schedule, I have always found time to focus on schoolwork. My favorite subjects have varied throughout the years, but I have always loved writing essays, short stories, and poetry. In my free time, I enjoy taking pictures. I have recently become very interested in photography and have gotten in the habit of heading outside on nice days to photograph nature, as well as my dog and horses.

Like any teenager, I like watching TV and going on the computer. My favorite shows are the Office and Gilmore Girls. In the future, I hope to travel and explore new cultures. One career I am thinking of pursuing is photojournalism, so I can combine my love of photography and travel. As my childhood experiences have varied, I have become a very open-minded and resilient person. I love making new friends and can't wait to get to know all my future NLC buddies.

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Shane

I (Shane) have many hobbies, passions, and achievements. My hobbies are to go longboarding with friends, to cook, to go fishing, backpacking, canoeing, running, etc. I also love to read. My passions are to play piano (I've played for 6 years), and cook desserts and breakfasts. Also, longboarding is one of my passions. Some of my achievements are getting into the honors program throughout middle school, and I have done many piano performances, such as the Sonatina Festivals, Achievement Days, and Guild (where you play 10 piano pieces memorized in front of a judge). Lastly, I have been a Christian Scientist for all my life.

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Shelby

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