Spotlight: LaSalle Middle School - Rockwood, Missouri

During the 2015 St. Louis Symposium, I visited LaSalle Middle School and heard a presentation from the leadership of three Rockwood Middle Schools. LaSalle would be an amazing school just to walk through since it seems that every hallway space has been utilized as a teachable moment with inspirational quotes and displays.  In addition to the beautifully painted walls, a simple item caught the eye of visitors.  Outside each classroom hung a small white board. The teachers could easily write a message with a white board marker and change it often.

My guide for the school tour was an 8th grader who was new to the school this year.  I asked him what was different between his former school and LaSalle.  I thought it was interesting that he did not start out with talking about the 7 Habits but said, "The teachers care about you more here.  I was having trouble writing a paper and my LA teacher took time with me after school. Teachers really want you to be successful."

During one of the St. Louis Symposium presentations, the middle school principals from Crestview and LaSalle indicated that discipline referrals have significantly decreased since the implementation of the leadership theme.  These middle schools are exciting examples of leadership work with 6th-8th grade students.

Spotlight Pre-School: Rainbow Station at Three Chopt - Richland, Virginia

The 7 Habits Tree 

Rainbow Station at Three Chopt in Richmond, Virginia is the first Pre-School Leader in Me Lighthouse School.   The school provides care for babies through kindergarten as well as after school care for students in K-5 and a "Get Well Place" for mildly ill children.

The train welcomes you into Rainbow Station

Have you filled a bucket?

Years ago, when Rainbow Station CEO Gail Johnson learned about The Leader in Me, she began talking about leadership strategies for her pre-schoolers.  Some people thought that the children were too young to learn leadership.  Rainbow Station went ahead anyway. In 2010, the Rainbow Station staff was trained in the 7 Habits. Since then leadership is integrated into the language and practices of every classroom from the babies through the after school care students.

Classroom Board

While visiting Rainbow Station, I observed a beautiful environment with signs of leadership throughout the classrooms. In the two year old room, a little girl came up to greet me with a hug and introduced her class by saying, "These my friends." In the 4 year old room, a girl reached out, shook my hand and said, "Welcome to the purple room, thank you for coming to our school,. My name is Megan."  I saw Leadership Notebooks in the 2 year old room and classroom Leadership Boards in each of the classrooms.   The director, Erin Rice, has her own two pre-schoolers enrolled at Rainbow station.  She said that one advantage of teaching The Leader in Me in pre-school is that all of the children learn proactive language as they learn to speak. They will not have to relearn proactive language later in life like I did.

In the baby and toddler room, children learn baby signs to express themselves.  Teachers are especially attuned to observe children to determine the children's goals.  Erin gave the example of her own two year acting frustrated whenever they went out to play at school.  The teachers identified that he really wanted to ride a bike.  They took a photograph of the bike and let him focus on it in the classroom. Eventually he was making progress toward getting on the bike and began peddling before he would developmentally be expected to do so.

Pre-school classroom leaders

The classrooms were brightly decorated. Each preschool teacher selects a new book each year to use as a theme to decorate their room, The bulletin boards were beautiful and included classroom leadership roles and data toward goals.

Rainbow Station now has several Leader in Me Schools in Virginia and several more starting in other states. There is a new preschool beginning in China and one in Indonesia.  Each school will make The Leader in Me a part of the way they relate to students.

Another unique part of Rainbow Station is "The Get Well Place" where pre-school and school age sick children can stay while their parents continue to go to work.  From my years as a working mom, I know the stress involved when a child is sick. The center is staffed with a nurse and maintains a 3 to 1 child ratio.

For school-age children, 5 to 14, The Village at Rainbow Station provides after school experiences. The Village has the facade of a beautiful town square and was modeled on the idea that "It takes a village to raise a child."  Each group of children in the Village program write their own mission statements as part of The Leader in Me plan.

The Village for After School Activities

Rainbow Station welcomes guests to their Leadership Day.  It is well worth the trip to see this unique school.

Director:  Erin Rice
http://www.rainbowstation.org/three-chopt/curriculum/leadership/

Spotlight: Harmony Community K-8 - Harmony, Florida

Planned Harmony community.

Harmony Community School near St. Cloud, Florida is the first K-8 Lighthouse School.  The school is just seven years old and was built in a planned community with lovely housing, a golf course, walking paths and manicured grounds. Jon Davis has been the school's only principal and has supported the value of the Stephen Covey 7 Habits even before the teachers were trained 5 years ago. Assistant Principal Dorota Micale has also worked at the school for the past seven years.

Mural that every student helped create

It is clear that the school staff honors student art work. On one long wall there is mural that every student helped to design and paint. 

Other walls display the art work of a particular student and painted with the assistance of all students from that grade level.

Every 1st grader helped paint.

Student Lighthouse representatives

Designed by a kindergartener.

Proud to display the habits

At the Leadership Day presentation, Alejandra was one of the student speakers and she also conducted the orchestra while her proud mother beamed from the audience.  Alejandra related that she was a third grader from Puerto Rico who spoke no English when she came to Harmony. Now she is an "A" student. She attributes her success to the warmth of the Harmony School Community.

Alejandra

Classroom Misions

The pre-schoolers gave us sweet treats

Leadership Day Wax Museum

Principal: Jon Davis
Harmony School Motto: "Where everyone leads by example through personal responsibility, contribution and hard work."

School Website:  http://www.hrcs.osceola.k12.fl.us/

Spotlight: Main Street Elementary - Troy, Missouri

Main Street Elementary in Troy, Missouri had been working on leadership for four years before they began their Franklin Covey formal training.  I had dinner with principal, Mrs. Kristi Shinn, and she shared the path their school has traveled. She related me that in their first year the staff did a book study of The Leader in Me. In the second year, the teachers taught their students one habit a month. In the third year, the teachers added classroom jobs, binders, and student led conferences. In their fourth year, students did presentations for their peers. Then in the summer after their fourth year, the teachers began formal 7 Habits and Leader in Me training. Each school has its' own path to becoming a Leader in Me School. I worked with Main Street Elementary on their Lighthouse Team Training where they outlined their plans for the 2014-15 school year.  The Lighthouse Team set goals to involve parents and to organize their first Leadership Day.

Each of the habits are displayed in a hallway. 

Classroom board made with hula hoops.

I thought that this bulletin board made by a Second Grade teacher Christy St. Pierre was great.  She designed this circle of control board using hula hoops. She said that her students would fill in activities relevant to them to indicate areas where they have control or no control.

Leaders are Popping up In Mrs. Jean's Class

2nd Grade Hall

Leaders are Built  (lego blocks on board)

Counselors

Add for Newsletter Leaders

 I was amazed to walk through the Main Street Elementary halls in August and see every bulletin board shout out leadership to the students.
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Principal: Mrs. Kristi Shinn
Website: http://www.troy.k12.mo.us/domain/155

Spotlight: Deerfield Elementary - Novi, Michigan

Students teaching the 7 Habits.

Deerfield Elementary is a K-4 school in Novi, Michigan.  All of the Novi School District K-6 schools are Leader in Me Schools and they are all hosting Leadership Days entitled "A Day in the Life of a Novi Student."   On March 4, 2015 Deerfield held it's first Leadership Day.  A representative from The Novi Education Foundation spoke at Deerfield's Leadership Day and talked about why they have selected The Leader in Me as one of the programs that they support.

My sister, a former elementary teacher and I were happy to attend. A number of parents were in attendance and were very supportive of The Leader in Me. One father spoke about how he had learned the 7 Habits at his company many years ago and that he felt compelled to attend the Leadership Day to show his appreciation for the school teaching the habits to his three children.

Zachary and his mom.

One mother I met was Clarissa Porter who has sons Jonathan and Zachary at Deerfield.  She said that her children do use the 7 Habits language at home and sometimes remind her about how they can work together. She is very pleased that her children attend a Leader in Me school and she wanted to attend the Leadership Day. Zachary was handsomely dressed in his jacket and tie to serve as a greeter for Leadership Day.

We were impressed with the 7 Habits Songs.

Synergy Activity in Cabin Time.

One of the activities we enjoyed seeing was "Cabin Time".  Each K-4 student is assigned to a "cabin" made up of a mixture of K-4 students.  The students remain in the same cabin throughout their years at Deerfield. The cabins meet with their adult leader to learn more about the 7 Habits.  We observed the students doing an activity to practice Synergy. The task required the children to work together to get a gummy worm into a candy life saver by only using paper clips. The students eventually determined that it took several children working together to stretch the candy life saver while another child maneuvered the candy worm inside.

Michigan Leader Reports

 

Third graders teaching my sister, Kay, about their goals.

During our visits to the classroom, we were able to talk to many students.  These third graders were eager to tell us about their goals and teach us about the 7 Habits.

The 7 Habits Tree.

Proud to share his Leadership Notebook.

This was my sister's first visit to a Leader in Me school.  She taught elementary grades for her entire career.  She was very impressed with the Deerfield students' ownership for their behavior and for their learning. We talked for hours about the warm spirit and positive attitude of every teacher and student we met at Deerfield Elementary School.

Principal:  Julie Bedford
Deerfield Web Site: http://www.novi.k12.mi.us/df/
Deerfield Face Book:https://www.facebook.com/DeerfieldElem

Spotlight: Silver Springs Elementary - Northville, Michigan

Silver Springs Elementary is part of the Northville School District where every elementary is a Leader in Me School. Silver Springs is proud to have earned the designation as the 62nd Franklin Covey Lighthouse School in the world.  As a symbol of this milestone, a lovely lighthouse stands outside their main entrance. The lighthouse gives a hint as to the interior of the school which is beautifully decorated and was buzzing with student leaders on their third Leadership Day, March 5, 2015. There was electricity in the air!

The students were very articulate and confident.  This is the first school where more than one student greeted me and included these welcoming words, "May I take your coat?" and "How is your day going so far?"

Leadership Notebook sharing

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MC's for Leadership Day

The theme for the Leadership Day was "The Power to Lead!". Our student Masters of Ceremonies were decked out as super heroes as were many of our guides. Everything about the staff, students and the day was very polished.  

1st-2nd Grade SOAR lesson

Our first classroom visit was "Soar Time" where the students learn about the 7 Habits.  The lesson, for the day, was on Habit 1 "Be Proactive." The 1st-2nd grade teacher used a bottle of coke and a bottle of water to teach the difference between reactive and proactive responses. The children seemed to be very clear on the language of proactivity.   When the teacher presented this comment, "My mother forgot to pack my library book." the children were very quick to point out that it is the student's responsibility not the mother's to take care of packing backpacks.




The students have been given opportunities to lead school assemblies during the year and these photographs, along with many others, were given to Leadership Day attendees on a flash drive. As I walked to my car I thought, "How could anyone attend this Leadership Day and not want to do "The Leader in Me" at their school?"  Silver Springs is a fantastic example of teaching leadership. 

Student Led Assembly

Student Led Assembly

Student Led Assembly

Principal:  Mrs. Melissa Hunt
Silver Spring website: http://silversprings.northvilleschools.org/

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