Mercer Island High School seniors Emily Morse and Nicholas Chandler were named as the Rotary Islanders of January. The students were introduced at the Rotary luncheon by their Spanish teacher, Rebecca Lewis. MISD Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano presented the awards.

Morse is a member of the MIHS drill team. At two DECA conferences in 2012, she placed first and second in marketing communications. She is a leader for BRIDGES and Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), and a member of the National Honor Society and MIHS Senior Service Club.

Her community activities include volunteering for the Teens in Public Service Board of Directors, the Kindering Center, Childhaven Youth Advisory Board and National Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk. The daughter of John and Janet Morse, she is the senior class co-president of the National Charity League.

Her travels have taken her to Guatemala, where she lived with a host family for two weeks, and Mexico, where she helped a team to build a house for a Mexican family.