News : VS 5th grader Madyson Rule plans summer trip to England and France

Madyson Rule poses with lamps that will help raise funds for her trip to Europe in June of 2012.

Madyson Rule

Her dad said he was sweating it out during his interview, but Madyson Rule of Vinton was confident during hers; confident that she would be selected for the People to People Ambassador trip to France and England this summer.

She was.

Next summer, Madyson, the daughter of Brendan and Lisa Rule of Vinton, will see the place where her favorite movie was made, get a chance to eat snails and frog legs, and perhaps even meet the Queen of England. The fifth-grader will see London, Warwick, Amesbury, Bath and Wells in England, as well as Paris and Caen, France.

A few months ago, Madyson received a letter in the mail inviting her to sign up for the People to People experience. Her parents checked it out before sharing the information with her. The family recently passed their initial interview with organizers, and soon will be attending meetings at a school in Cedar Rapids as Madyson and her peers begin planning their trip.

"I was sweating bullets during my interview," said Brendan. "But she was calm. Afterwards she said, 'I knew I was going to be accepted.'"

Madyson will leave in June, flying without her parents for the first time. The group of fifth and sixth graders will see Oxford, where the Harry Potter movies were made. Madyson is a big Harry Potter fan. She will also stay in the Warwick Castle, experience medieval European activities, learning how to wage war as a knight and watching the world's largest catapult in action.

She will also see many of England's best-known places: Stonehenge, Buckingham Palace, Parliament.

The London Eye, the world's largest Ferris Wheel, also awaits. Madyson loves Ferris wheels, but says the idea of being that high (The Eye is 443 feet tall) makes her a bit nervous.

In France, Madyson and the other young Ambassadors will go to the top of the Eiffel Tower, see the Mona Lisa and other famous historic art works at the Louvre, and see the Arc De Triomphe while strolling the Champs-Elysees. She will also have the chance to "sample French delicacies" like frog legs and escargot, although right now, the escargot does not seem that appealing to her. The trip also includes visits to the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Palace of Versailles, as well as the beaches, cemeteries and memorials to D-Day at Normandy.

Madyson says she has a lot of people to thank already for helping her with this opportunity. Teacher Jamie Walker and Guidance Counselor Angela Sagan provided references. Four friends -- Olivia Coder, Grace Petrazelka, Maddux Earhardt and Kaitlyn Halstead -- wrote a short paper called "What is Special about Madyson" to send to the organization.

"I am very grateful to have the chance to travel out of the country," she says.

Madyson plays the piano and percussion instruments, and is involved in the AYSO soccer league. She is also active in the First Christian Church youth group and its summer camps.

Along with her parents, Madyson's little brothers, Jax and Hudson, have been accompanying the family on their trip-related errands.

Fund-raising

The family plans a chili supper on Jan. 14, which will include a silent auction and bake sale. Many area businesses have donated items for this event. The family is also doing a Leg Lamp lawn decoration fund-raiser. Participants can choose which yard in which to put the lighted lamps, which are leg-shaped and were inspired by the movie "A Christmas Story." The lamps have already been seen around the Vinton area, in a few yards.

For more information about Madyson's trip, or the fund-raisers, contact Lisa Rule at rulelisa@ymail.com.

The People to People Ambassador program begin in 1956, founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. See its history HERE.