The 2017-2018 school year has been filled with many opportunities for our students here at Clay City Elementary, and one of these opportunities is a program called The Leader in Me. The Leader in Me is Franklin Covey’s whole school transformation process. It teaches 21st century leadership and life skills to students and creates a culture of student empowerment based on the idea that every child can be a leader.
Throughout this school year at CCE, teachers and students have worked to learn about the seven habits of successful leaders that The Leader in Me teaches. The positive culture of the school has flourished this year, as have student leaders, who are seen in the hallways daily welcoming students and guests in the building and in classrooms assisting with leadership roles and jobs. The Leader in Me has truly been a transformational process for our school, students, staff, and families.
As part The Leader in Me, schools are encouraged to host an annual “Leadership Day,” a day to promote and showcase student leaders throughout the school. After three years of successful implementation of TLIM, along with annual leadership days, a school can achieve Lighthouse School status, which is the highest honor in The Leader in Me’s process. Clay City Elementary hosted our annual Leadership Day on Wednesday, March 28 from 9-11:00 a.m. Guests from our school district and community members and leaders participated in the special day, which was a true investment in the life of our school, students, and community.
During the Leadership Day, guests participated in activities led by students, including a Living Wax Museum, where students brought to life historical characters such as Betsy Ross, Annie Oakley, Abraham Lincoln, Amelia Earhart, and Walt Disney. Students also presented science fair projects to guests, exploring important scientific concepts and experiments. Students shared their own data notebooks with guests and communicated the importance of making goals for themselves during their learning process. Student representatives from our school STLP and Sewing Clubs shared projects they have been working on over the past weeks. Guests also toured an art gallery, showcasing watercolor portraits from “Under the Sea.” To close the special day, Kindergarten performed a musical performance of 7 Habits Dynamite.
Clay City Elementary students, staff, teachers, and families worked together to make this wonderful day of learning and leadership possible. We are grateful for the support our community has offered CCE during the implementation of The Leader in Me. We look forward to many more successful Leadership Days here at CCE, and we warmly welcome anyone to visit our school who would like to see firsthand how this culture of leadership has changed Clay City Elementary.