Students in Bess T. Shepherd Elementary School’s leadership academy participate in the application day where they implement leadership skills they’ve learned in the classroom.Walking through the halls of Bess T. Shepherd Elementary School early on a Friday morning, you might be surprised at what you hear.
Instead of excited chatter about the weekend or kids playing games before class, words like “gratitude,” “self-control” and “synergy” echo from a classroom as 30 third- through fifth-graders learn what it means to be a leader. They are part of the school’s leadership academy, which is in its second year and is led by music teacher Lindsey Hagan and school counselor Patricia Russell.
“Most schools have a student council program, and this is what we have instead,” Russell explained. “We are teaching skills to help students be successful not only in elementary school, middle school and high school, but as they go out and hopefully become community leaders.”
In order to be accepted into the leadership academy, students have to formally apply, meet certain GPA requirements, have good attendance and behave well in class. In addition to lessons, students have homework, or “fun work” as Hagan likes to call it, that must be completed outside of school. Once each quarter, the students take a day out of their normal classrooms for leadership academy “application days.” During an application day this March the students will visit the state Capitol in Nashville and take a college tour at Vanderbilt University.
“Ninety percent of our kids at this school live in poverty. These experiences are huge opportunities for our kids,” Hagan said. “A lot of them have a hard time seeing past what’s right in front of them. It really opens their minds to be able to dream big.”
The leadership academy is completely free to all students who participate. To help offset expenses for the students’ trip to Nashville later this year, the teachers are raising money at causeway.org/cause/view/student-leadership-academy-field-trip-to-nashville.
Later this year the leadership academy will also offer a career fair for students to help expose them to possible careers and the academy’s students will provide an assembly for the entire school, sharing what they’ve learned throughout the year.
“It’s such a great opportunity for our students to take ownership of their education and destinies,” said Russell. “We want them to know they have choices and options.”