Bluewater District School Board

Bluewater's Exchange Student Enjoying Thailand Experience page

Exchange Student Enjoying Thailand Experience

Exchange Student Enjoying Thailand Experience
Posted on 01/15/2025
Student holding and standing inside Rotary Youth Exchange - Thailand frameAn Owen Sound District Secondary School (OSDSS) student is enjoying a firsthand once-in-a-lifetime experience of what it is like to live in Thailand.

Maryjane Klunder, who is currently in Grade 12, placed first out of 470 entries from 41 countries across all continents in the Essay Competition on International Peace, hosted by the Istanbul Rotary Club. MJ's essay on the theme of 'Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention' resulted in a $3,000 US sponsorship by the Rotary Club of New York. Entering the competition was facilitated through the Southampton Rotary Club as part of their Rotary Youth Exchange for 2024 - 2025.

MJ is currently in Bangkok attending school and experiencing all that Thailand and her Rotary exchange have to offer. She will be flown from Bangkok to Istanbul in February to receive her award.

Click here to read MJ's award-winning essay, "Peace in an Interconnected World".

MJ attended Peninsula Shores District School from junior kindergarten to Grade 9, where she was an active athlete, Equity Council voice, member of the Gender Sexuality Alliance, and participant in the Nuclear Innovation Institute's "Youth Climate Summit", a student simulation on the Paris Agreement on climate change. For her Grade 10 year, she transferred to OSDSS to participate in a nine-week international student exchange program to Spain. The initiative served as a wonderful learning experience, providing MJ with an invaluable global perspective. Her active involvement in her school community continued at OSDSS through her participation in rugby, Varsity girls hockey, and the Equity Council. With the support and encouragement of Ms. Day (OSDSS), she was also invited to speak as a youth ambassador at a climate panel discussion, where she met and discussed climate issues with Autumn Peltier, an inspiring Indigenous rights and water activist. MJ has become passionate about creating a positive and inclusive school culture, and was a key musician and participant in the Coffeehouses nights showcasing local student art and music. Her musical interest and ability have extended to the broader community through her involvement in Owen Sound's Banditfest music festival. 

Bluewater District School Board congratulates MJ on her globally recognized amazing achievement!
Bluewater District School Board is located on the traditional land of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, which is represented by the communities of Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.
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