Kids Shine During Visit to Local Elementary Schools

It’s Monday morning on a school day, May 23rd, but there are no adults outside the front doors of Manatee Elementary School. Odd, but I was greeted warmly by a group of student leaders and escorted to the cafeteria where there was standing room only. It was packed with parents and family members waiting for the “Leader in Me” program to start, all of which had been guided to the cafeteria by student leaders. Don’t misunderstand, there are adults nearby, but they take a “back seat” to the students’ leadership opportunities. 

The presenters and masters of ceremony were again, student leaders (with subtle support from significant adults). The program consisted of different grade levels of students performing songs and directed by their teachers, including the Drum Club, Chorus and Kindergarten students with memorable motions to support “Leader in Me” lyrics, which brought strong applause from the audience. 

You might ask, what is “The Leader in Me”? This is a program designed by Stephen R. Covey and Associates, specified in the book “The Leader in Me'' about how schools “around the world are inspiring greatness, one school at a time.” The program began as an offshoot of “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” also by Stephen R. Covey, which helps adults effectively learn and collaborate with others to increase their leadership capabilities.

Collier County Schools started with one voluntary program adoption of “The Leader in Me” at the elementary level. The leadership and academic results were so positive that other schools also wanted to become “Leader in Me” schools and now there are over 20, all experiencing progress and growth in both students and staff.

After the student program concluded, we were divided into small group teams (we were the Squids) led by a student and ushered into a classroom down the hallway. Still no adults “in charge.” The Squid group followed our student leader to various student presenters at each themed station around the building. Now, at this point I’m wondering, (and so are the other adults), “What the heck is going on here?” Where are the adults?

Turns out, “The Leader in Me,” helps to empower students to be...leaders! Students take it seriously and so do the teachers and staff, and their collective efforts pay off dramatically. Students love the importance of their responsibilities, and they take them seriously. Here’s what we saw as our Tour Guide took us to several other clubs/activities. 

Manatee students have a choice of an enrichment activity that they participate in once a month. They are sponsored by a teacher who provides related activities to help them learn. Our student guide took us to the following classrooms to see what the students could show us and how they were following their curiosities and learning great things like Gardening, Dribbling, (as in basketball), Sewing, Computer Programming, Chess, Ukulele, Robotics, Drumming and much more. It was so much fun to see the interests that students had and how enthusiastic they were about these opportunities, which were seemingly out of the realm of academics (wink, wink).

Very impressive, Manatee Elementary School!

Students at Tommie Barfield Elementary School also celebrated their “Leader in Me” achievements in May. These included a special shop located outside where visitors could purchase students’ handmade items and sales were brisk. Students escorted the visitors and answered questions throughout the tours.

There was also a program in the cafeteria, introduced by two student emcees. In the past, teachers would generally choose students for these roles, but now, students submit their names to be considered for the roles and that they are able to memorize and represent their school well. The students chosen showed poise and personality, as they introduced the chorus, which was huge and spectacular and then segued into the next activity.

Five students formed a panel in the Media Center and took questions from the adult audience about “Leader in Me.” The questions were probing. Each student spoke into a portable mic and passed it along to other students so they could add their comments. They were all very candid and answered with sincerity about the benefits of the opportunities provided by “The Leader in Me” implementation. Touring the school reveals a creative plethora of accountability charts that are measured regularly to update their progress. Class by class, the progression of skill achievements are posted, no names of course, but the visual representations of progress by grade level are incentives for other students and classes to persevere and achieve new goals.

Collier County Schools are achieving more than ever before and the “Leader in Me” program is just one strategy to accomplish our mutual goals.