BANGOR – More than 1,000 American students are being directly affected by the recent anthrax exposures and terrorist attacks in Washington, D.C., even though few of them reside anywhere near the nation’s capital.

Two of those students are Mary Molnar and Monica Willey, both juniors at Bangor High School.

Three conferences scheduled this fall in Washington to serve as learning experiences for some of the nation’s future leaders have had a number of students withdraw for fear of their safety, according to organizers. Not the girls from Bangor.

The annual events are attended by 350 students each over the course of the fall. Molnar was accepted to attend the National Young Leaders Conference, headed by the Congressional Youth Leadership Conference, while Willey was accepted to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Law. The NYLF also holds a Defense, Intelligence and Diplomacy forum.

Normally, students anxiously await the opportunity to learn from some of the nation’s leaders, but lately some students aren’t sure the conference is worth the trip.

“We’ve had a number of calls from parents and students concerned with safety issues and they ended up canceling,” said Brett West, a spokesperson for the NYLC and NYLF.

Despite such concerns, neither organization has plans to cancel any of the conferences. Alternates have filled the open slots.

“We’re taking a cue from the president as we’re being cautious, but moving on with business as usual,” said West. “As creepy as all of the news has been, D.C. has never been safer.”

Molnar and Willey began planning and applying for the opportunity to learn from the nation’s leaders months before terrorist activities made Washington an area of concern. The pair, however, remain resolute in their decisions to go.

“I can’t live in fear,” said Willey, who will attend the NYLF conference Nov. 13-18. “I have to live and do things I want to and normally would do. I still feel safe.”

“I’m not going to let terrorists stop what I want to do or affect something that could decide what my future will be,” said Molnar, whose NYLC conference runs from Nov. 6-11. “Going down there could decide what I do with my future.”

Students from various parts of the country are selected to attend each event based on leadership potential and scholastic merit. Each conference is broken into smaller groups that visit Washington on different dates so that students can get the most of out their experiences, said West.

The first setback for the programs was experienced when the NYLC began its program last week. With anthrax discoveries on Capitol Hill, the program had to make some swift decisions.

“When there is a threat we have been making spur-of-the-moment contingency plans,” West said. “With Capitol Hill closed, we couldn’t bring the students to the congressional staff, so we brought the congressional staff to the students.”

Events have made many students who choose to attend consider other modes of transportation. Airline tickets have been changed repeatedly, said West, and many students have considered driving, taking a train or flying to airports outside of the capital.

The conferences, which normally provide shuttle service from Reagan National and Dulles airports, now also will provide services to Baltimore International Airport and Union Station, the train station in downtown Washington.

Security for the students now, as always, is a primary concern, said West. Students will stay in hotels outside of the capital’s center. The future leaders can expect delays while visiting different areas of the capital, said West. With increased security, getting through different checkpoints likely will take longer than usual, he said. “We would never allow the students to enter a situation where there is a threat.”

Despite the precautions and reassurances, parents still find themselves concerned.

“I know the chances of her getting hurt on her way to school are greater, but you still worry,” said Krista Molnar, Mary’s mother. “I don’t think it’s right, though, for her to miss such an opportunity. I’ll let her go and get gray hairs while I wait for her to come back.”

The Willeys agree.

“We’ve talked about this in the family quite a bit and if they believe it is safe for her to go then we’ll follow that direction,” said Larry Willey, Monica’s father. “We’re taking a wait-and-see approach. If there is any sign of any danger I don’t think any of us [parents] would allow our children to go.”

Because of recent events, this year’s conferences could prove to be the most rewarding in memory, claimed West.

“It’s an incredibly interesting if not stressful time and young people interested in learning about leadership could find no better time than now to be in Washington and learning from our leaders how we as a country will move forward,” he said. “Through bad things, good things are learned.”