Middle School Leadership Conference
This year, four of our middle school students attended a OneDay Conference sponsored by ACSI. Many other Christian students gathered at this New Jersey school to focus on cultivating leadership skills.
This year’s theme was Hide and Seek. Each word was the focus of a session of learning and activity. Andrew, Zach, Sophie, and Isabella ventured out of their comfort zones to work with groups of other students during these session. The first session asked the students to discover how and why we HIDE. The second session helped them discover their leadership style and how our style AND their friends’ styles can work together.
The concluding session asked our students to work together to create a SEEK plan to establish in our own school.
The students were presented with Four Principles of Leadership.
#1: Leadership is Self-Aware
#2: Leadership is Others Aware
#3: Leadership Makes Others Aware
#4: Leadership Takes on the Issue
Our students have met together back at school to talk about and take action regarding gossip amongst their classmates. They feel that they have made good steps in that direction, as they have prayed, practiced some possible responses, and come together again with encouraging reports. They are not perfect yet, but each of them is more aware of the way to use their leadership ability and style to accomplish change. One of the recurring concerns in the whole group was the feeling of being alone. Our students are doing a great job of watching for those who are solitary, and reaching out to their classmates. We were glad to have the opportunity to learn and grow at this conference. We will continue in the New Year to build each other up in encouragements and inclusion.
