Concordia Lutheran junior Alex Klaehn never thought her volunteer construction work in Tajikistan would land her anything but sore muscles and a few new pen pals. But in May, Klaehn found herself face to face with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The meeting was part of a free trip to Washington, D.C., that Klaehn won for her volunteer work in a Tajikistan zoo.

“I was kind of nervous to meet her,” Klaehn said of Clinton, who had her picture taken with Klaehn and with other students awarded the Prudential Spirit of Community Award – an honor for America’s top youth volunteers. “She seemed like a down-to-earth and open person.”

When Kline was in eighth grade at Holy Cross Lutheran School, a teacher put her in touch with a Tajik pen pal. Through her letter writing, Klaehn learned about the dismal state of Tajikistan’s zoos, many of which have poor safety and animal care standards. Along with her teacher and a handful of others, Klaehn drafted a grant proposal to travel to Tajikistan and improve the zoo.

In the summer of 2008, the money came through, and Klaehn, her father and a few other volunteers were off to Tajikistan just weeks later. During the two-week trip, Klaehn mended fences, renovated a playground, and taught other students about volunteerism.

“It opened my eyes to other parts of the world and to different kinds of people,” Klaehn said of the visit. “Now I know how grateful I should be for everything I have.”

Events

•Woodburn Elementary will hold a back-to-school night from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Recognitions

•Valparaiso University student Catherine Renken of Fort Wayne was on a team that took first place in the student poster competition at the American Society for Engineering Education’s Illinois/Indiana section.

•Imagine Schools on Broadway won the Shared Values/New School award at the Imagine Schools National Forum.

Scholarships

•The following students received $1,000 scholarships from the Comcast Foundation: Ivan Fredrick, Bishop Luers; Brandon Knueve, New Haven; Kayleigh Nyffeler, Wayne; Bonnie Sanders, North Side; Kortnee Singer, Northfield; Soe Soe, South Side; Laura Spieth, Woodlan; Cortney Stace, Homestead; Dustin Wiehe, Carroll; and Kylee Wierks, Northrop.

•Alexander Rahn, of Fort Wayne, received a $3,000 Saints Scholarship and a $12,000 President’s Scholarship at Saint John’s University.

Registration

•Prince Chapman Academy will conduct sixth-grade registration and orientation from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

•Crescent Avenue Weekday School, 1232 Crescent Ave., is enrolling children for morning preschool, child care and before- and after-school care. For more information or a tour, call 423-4718.

•To register for a Fort Wayne Community Schools Neighborhood Connection class, call the office at 467-1075 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

Saint Francis

•The Living Healthier series will continue at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the North Campus, 2702 Spring St., with “Improving Bone Health,” presented by Fritzi Nodine.