POLAND – Allaina Murphy has been accepted into the People to People World Leadership Forum. She will join a select group of students in Washington, D.C., from Feb. 27 to March 5, to earn high school credits while studying leadership and exploring monuments and institutions.

From Capitol Hill to the Smithsonian Institute, from Colonial Williamsburg to the National Museum of American History, Murphy will examine the characteristics of American leadership during times of national challenge and prosperity.

Forum delegates will also participate in small-group discussions and exercises to experience firsthand how successful leaders develop strategies, make decisions, build consensus and foster change.

Murphy was accepted based on outstanding scholastic merit, civic involvement and leadership potential.

The program is coordinated by People to People Student Ambassador Programs to fulfill the vision of Dwight D. Eisenhower had for fostering world citizenship when he founded People to People during his presidency in 1956.

She received a Presidential Award for Educational Excellence at the sixth-grade promotion breakfast on June 15 at Poland Community School. The award included a signed certificate as well as a congratulation letter signed by Pres. George W. Bush.

Criteria for receiving the award include an A average and achievement of 85 percent or higher on the MEAs. The recipient must also demonstrate high motivation, initiative, integrity, intellectual depth, leadership and exceptional judgment.