Spotlight: Mechanics Grove Elementary - Mundelein, Illinois

Mechanics Grove Elementary in Mundelein, Illinois was very excited to hear that they were just named a Lighthouse School. They are the first Lighthouse School in the Chicagoland area.  It has not been easy road for them to become a Leader in Me School.  In 2010, the teachers at K-5 Lincoln Elementary in Mundelein were learning about the 7 Habits from their principal Dr. Kathleen Miller.  The teachers were moving ahead providing their students opportunities to be leaders and teaching the 7 Habits when district fiscal concerns led to the closing of Lincoln School.  The next Fall, Dr. Miller was reassigned as principal at Mechanics Grove Elementary as a 3rd-5th school with some of the Lincoln teachers and the existing Mechanics Grove teachers who had their own traditions which did not include The Leader in Me. The future of The Leader in Me was uncertain, but by the end of the school year, the teachers all agreed to use the The Leader in Me theme to unite and form a new school family with the Mechanics Grove staff, students and parents.  District leadership supported the Mechanics Grove Staff training in Leader in Me and 7 Habits.  Students and parents embraced the leadership theme and the teachers integrated the 7 Habits into their morning meetings with students, all areas of the curriculum, and into their school behavior and culture. Using the 7 Habits and developing leadership across the entire school community transformed the culture and the newly united school with one goal—unleashing the potential inherent in each child! Since the implementation of The Leader in Me behavior referrals to the office have significantly dropped.  Reading and math growth targets have exceeded expectations.

Path of Leadership mural with staff and student sole prints.

After their first formal Leader in Me year, to symbolize their path of leadership, each graduating 5th grader and staff member made a clay tile with the print from the sole of their shoe.  The clay mural hangs in the school lobby.

Mechanics Grove displays their traditions.

Students displayed their Science Projects

One tradition is an annual Mechanics Grove Science Night for students and parents.  On February 26, 2015 Mechanics Grove school was alive with parents, students and staff.  The theme of the night was "Science, It's Your Turn to Change The World." Students displayed their science projects and teachers invited local medical and other experts to teach science concepts. I especially enjoyed meeting Mr. Miller,  Principal Miller's husband who is a pilot and guided the students as they tried landing planes on a simulator.

Students learn about aviation from the principal's husband. 

The medical community provided hands-on science.

Due to their school's leadership, in November 2014, Mechanics Grove Elementary School was chosen to host Sean Covey who spoke at The Leader in Me Book Tour.

Principal:  Dr. Kathleen Miller
Mechanics Grove School Web Site:
http://www.d75.lake.k12.il.us/index.aspx?nid=170

Spotlight: Lakewood Elementary - White Lake, Michigan

Leaders selected by the students. 

I attended Lakewood Elementary's first Leadership Day on January 16, 2015. The students were great hosts.  The children were the primary speakers at the microphone. They sang, took us on a tour of their school and taught us about their data notebooks.  Lakewood is part of the Huron Valley School District which now has four Leader in Me schools.

Students performing on Leadership Day.

Students apply for jobs around the school.

Why would you be on the cover?

Students wear their shirts proudly.

"Everyone Learning, Everyone Growing, Everyone Leading"
Principal: Jill Brower
WebSite: http://www.hvs.org/schools/elementaryschools/lakewood

Spotlight: Beaumont Elementary - Waterford, Michigan

Beaumont Elementary, a K-5 school in Waterford, Michigan has an amazing story. Beaumont earned the status of the first Lighthouse School in Michigan.

I really enjoyed attending their Leadership Day in 2011.  A student was the MC for the entire day. Their staff is very committed and I have watched them present at national conferences. I have attached my notes from Leadership Day I attended:  http://files.ogschool.org/misc/Beaumont_School_Leadership_Day.pdf

A ribbon cutting by Principal Jan McCartan symbolized a new beginning.

I hope that you will see the movie made about Beaumont School dramatizing the school's metamorphosis. The movie shows how the teachers at one time were wearing black shirts and worked only to union contract minutes. The parents, staff and students speak about how The Leader in Me has helped change their school to the engaged happy place it is today.

The staff brightened up the school.

Current students and graduates of Beaumont talk with confidence about The Leader in Me.

Theme: - "Together We Lead"
Principal:  Jan McCartan

Their website is very well organized with photographs of their transformation and ideas to share with other schools.  Website: http://www.beaumonttogetherwelead.com

Spotlight: Eureka Elementary - Eureka, Missouri

Eureka Elementary is a K-5 school in the Rockwood School District in Missouri.  The school is beautiful and exhibits numerous symbols of The Leader in Me throughout the hallways and in the classrooms.  Eureka’s staff and students have embraced the leadership theme however, at the end of their first year of implementing The Leader in Me, it was discovered that the parents did not understand the connection between the 7 Habits, leadership, data notebooks and the Lighthouse team. One of the goals identified, for their second year, was to increase parent involvement and understanding.

To increase parent involvement, Eureka School added a parent to their Lighthouse Team who presented at the Leadership Day and Symposium.  The school planned a parent education night with the theme of “Let’s Learn S’More About Leadership!” The evening  was very successful and was totally facilitated by the students.  Students, using trifold displays at tables taught each of the 7 habits.  Trivia games and Bingo symbols used 7 Habits terms.  Even the grandparents day included leadership language. 

Examples of using the habits at home.

Sharing Data Notebooks

Eureka designed another opportunity for parent involvement as home projects. Four times a year, the parents are sent home a paper where they can write down an example of their child displaying one of the seven habits at home.  The students return the papers that are proudly displayed at school.  The winter home projects were in snowflake shapes. 

I attended Eureka's second leadership day on February 3, 2015. My favorite part of the visit was when the students shared their data notebooks.  One of the school’s goals is to transition from primarily data in their notebooks to more of a leadership notebook.  The materials from the Eureka Leadership day can be accessed at  http://bit.ly/154HQ7m



School Web Site:http://www.rockwood.k12.mo.us/eurekael/aboutus/Pages/default.aspx

Spotlight: A.B. Combs Leadership Magnet - Raleigh, North Carolina

A.B. Combs was where The Leader in Me began so visiting there was a thrill.

Principal, Muriel Summers tells the story of how back in 1999 her school was a magnet school but not attracting many students.  Her superintendent gave her a week to develop a new direction for the school.  When the faculty discussed with the business leaders and community what they really wanted from graduates the characteristics they talked about all seemed to point to Leadership. Muriel had recently attended a seminar by Dr. Covey and she had wondered why people need to wait until they are adults to learn the 7 Habits. A.B. Combs began to teach Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits, used Baldrige tools to work together, taught social skills and gave their students opportunities to be leaders.  As they made changes, their enrollment increased, educators came to visit and other schools began to emulate what they learned at A.B. Combs. Stephen R. Covey visited the school and published the first book, The Leader in Me in 2008 and the second edition was published in 2014. Now there are over 2000 schools around the world in The Leader in Me process.  A.B. Combs has twice been chosen the number one Magnet school in the country.


After reading The Leader in Me, and seeing videos from A.B. Combs for several years, it was such an amazing journey to be able to attend a Leadership Day there in 2012.  The students greeted us with handshakes, singing and showed us around the school. Everywhere I looked, the walls displayed inspirational quotes and items honoring the leadership of their students and staff. Muriel Summers and her teachers are leaving a legacy to education and to the world.

A.B. Combs School Website: http://combses.wcpss.net/

Leader in Me Symposiums

A great way to learn about The Leader in Me and share ideas is to attend a Leader in Me Symposium.  Check the events section of the website to view the locations of the 2-day symposiums each year and to register  www.theleaderinme.org.

During the symposium, participants will hear from speakers and have a chance to visit multiple Leader in Me schools.  The symposium is a comprehensive introduction to people who are learning about The Leader in Me for the first time as well as educators who would like to learn and share ideas with schools that have been implementing The Leader in Me for several years.

I attended the Michigan Symposium in 2014 and the St. Louis Symposium in February 2015 and found the days educational and invigorating.

The St. Louis Symposium February 2015.

Student leaders take the adults on tours of their schools.

Students teaching about their Leadership Notebooks. 

"Begin with the End in Mind" - Data on Display

Eureka School-Wide Reading Goal

Leader in Me Schools strive to "Begin with the End in Mind" by setting goals and monitoring progress toward those goals. Students keep their own goals and test results in their "Leadership Notebooks". Group goals and data are often displayed so that the students and staff are reminded of their clear, measurable objectives and can celebrate progress toward those goals. The most important goals are often called WIGS "Wildly Important Goals".  Here are some ways schools have measured and displayed their data in the hallways.

Bus Behavior

Class Goals