FARMINGTON – Mt. Blue sophomore Nick Peruffo knows what it’s like to see the nation’s beefed-up security in action.

Peruffo, 15, was in Washington, D.C., in August to attend a LeadAmerica Congressional Student Leadership Conference during a Code Orange security alert for the capital.

“It was pretty intense,” said the Farmington resident. “You could tell the city was on edge. There were a lot of cops all over, and they had big guns, very visible.” Black Hawk helicopters flew the skies night and day, he said.

Code Orange is the fourth of five terrorism alert levels established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It means officials believe the risk of terrorist attacks is high.

Peruffo joined 99 other high school students from around the country at the Defense and Intelligence conference. He was the only student from Maine to attend.

During the conference, CIA operatives and university professors spoke to the students about terrorism, current world threats, chemical weapons and ways to combat those threats.

Syria and North Korea figured very prominently in the lectures, Peruffo said.

There was also a mock crisis – a simulation of a worldwide crisis. Students were split into teams, given information, then had to learn to cooperate to solve the crisis.

“It really showed us all how tough it is for international agencies to work together and cooperate,” Peruffo said. “We did it, though.”

They toured statues, memorials and buildings, including the Pentagon and Senate office buildings. He made fast friends with students from Florida, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Oregon, and he plans to stay in touch.

Peruffo said he was relieved when he got back home to Maine, where life is less stressful. But he would not trade his Washington visit, even with the added security. “It was certainly an eye-opening experience,” he said.

“Before I went, I wasn’t really aware how unstable the world is and the real threat America is up against right now. I learned some pretty intense things, but I think that knowledge will help me shape the future, and my future.”

He was nominated for the seminar by former social studies teacher Anne Trefethen.

“Nick always seems to take time for others, no matter who they are,” Trefethen said. “He takes everyone on an equal plane.” She described his quality of quiet leadership. “People listen to him, plus he is a good listener.”

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