PARIS – Aurora Lenz-Watson, an Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School senior, spoke at a recent Oxford Hills Rotary Club meeting about her trip to the World Affairs Seminar in Whitewater, Wisc., last June.

The trip was sponsored by the Rotary Club. Lenz-Watson joined about 1,000 high school students to learn about ways to promote peace in their communities and the world. She met students from many other countries.

Lenz-Watson believes that one of the keys to achieving peace is perseverance and another is finding common ground between those in conflict. She believes peace is inhibited by culture and thinking that dehumanizes others.

As a result of the conference, Lenz-Watson is considering a major in peace studies when she goes to college. In the meantime, she is beginning an internship at Community Concepts where she hopes to increase her understanding of what will promote peace in the Oxford Hills community.

After her week in Wisconsin, Lenz-Watson returned to work at the Seeds of Peace camp in Otisfield, where she interacted with campers from around the globe.

Rotary International is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The Oxford Hills club was chartered in 1983 and is in its 21st year. It meets at 7:30 a.m. Wednesdays at the First Congregational Church in South Paris. Anyone interested in attending should contact President Patty Rice at 743-7777.

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