Capable Kids

Leadership Day at Tommie Barfield Elementary (TBE) is a big event. From the moment you enter the parking lot you’re welcomed by a school official guiding you to your parking space. As you wait in line to enter the school - single file, of course - you're serenaded by a quintet of elementary school singers. Upon entering the school, which opened in 1956, you're cheered on by students as you walk through the hallways. You hear a drum line reminiscent of a Friday night football game as you continue along. Passing through the breezeway and toward the cafeteria you’re engulfed by the drum line that includes the school’s manatee mascot. Finally, you walk through another tunnel of cheering students and into the cafeteria where you’re welcomed by a bustling marketplace where students are selling handmade creations. But the most amazing thing about this beautifully choreographed event is that the whole production is student-run. 

“We're always looking for new leadership roles and new opportunities for our students to share their genius,” said Alyssa Ledbetter, TBE principal during a break in the Friday, March 7, event. “This year, we made small adjustments. Memorizing lines instead of using scripts. Hiring students to be executive directors of Leadership Day as opposed to adults leading. We’re always tweaking small things but making sure that our leadership environment is always highlighted in the best way. We have 476 students. All of them are engaged today in Leadership Day in one way, shape, or form. Leadership is for all. All of our students are leaders. We're really just trying to continue with that abundant mentality of we are capable of anything. We’re just very proud of our leaders."

The Marco Island community is proud of their high achieving elementary school, too. Leadership Day is becoming a must-attend for Marco’s adult leaders. Four city council members and city manager Mike McNees were participants. YMCA CEO Cindy Love-Abounader was there. So were the leaders of Marco’s fire and police departments. A touching moment came when students provided dozens of cookies to our first responders to take back to their colleagues.

Ledbetter said it wasn’t hard to find applicants for the 1,000-plus jobs required to pull off the half-day program.

 "Absolutely not,” Ledbetter said. "We start with probably 50 applications in each of the roles. We sift through hundreds of student applications. The great thing is that we really recognize students' genius. If they apply for a role, but we see their genius in a different light, we always have conversations with them. We really try to get students to step outside their comfort zone. We had some students today up on stage that have never done public speaking before. Never memorized lines. Reading or speaking might not even be something that is a strength of theirs. But with time and effort and practice, they did a great job. And I think for them, that sense of confidence shining today was awesome.”

In 2018 TBE became a Leader in Me School. In 2023, they were named a Lighthouse School. The Leader in Me School program focuses on the belief that everyone has the potential to lead. The program is an outgrowth of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.