Students display MMS leadership program
JESSICA ALLEN/DAILY FORUM
Students in Ashley Anderson’s seventh grade language arts class display a book they wrote and illustrated to share with students at Eugene Field Elementary School.
Maryville Middle School Principal Kevin Pitts believes that a good, strong handshake, eye contact, and clear verbal communication are important skills for his students to possess.
That’s exactly the welcome local civic and business leaders received when they arrived at the middle school Friday morning for the second annual Leadership Day.
Leadership Day is a chance for students and teachers to demonstrate the “leadership climate” created at the school, thanks to the Leader in Me program that was implemented last year.
This year’s theme was “Leadership is Sweet,” and attendees enjoyed a variety of sweet treats while listening to presentations by the middle school students.
The program is based on the books “Leader in Me” and “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” by the father-son team of Stephen and Sean Covey.
The seven habits outlined in “Leader in Me” have become the foundation for every aspect of education at MMS.
The habits include “be proactive,” “begin with the end in mind,” “put first things first,” “think win-win,” “seek first to understand, then to be understood,” “synergize,” and “sharpen the saw,” the last of which encourages students to find balance in life by exercising, eating right, and spending time with loved ones.
During the opening assembly, several students explained how they implemented these habits into their lives, both in and out of school.
AJ Supinger, however, took a different approach.
He performed an original comedy routine with the purpose of proving that “humor doesn’t have to involve making fun of others.” His routine detailed the exploits of his dog Molly and how she fails to follow the seven habits of leadership.
Following the assembly, students led groups of visitors on a tour of the school so they could observe how the Leader in Me process has been implemented.
Students in Ashley Anderson’s seventh grade language arts class displayed books they wrote and illustrated to share with students at Eugene Field Elementary School.
Anderson also explained the students’ Leadership Notebooks, which detail each student’s mission statement, progress reports, academic goals, and leadership habits.
Another tangible sign of the program’s influence involves the school’s Literacy WIG, or Wildly Important Goal. The WIG is for all MMS students to meet or exceed their SRI expected growth target by the end of the year.
SRI stands for Scholastic Reading Inventory, “an assessment designed to measure how well students read literature and expository texts of varying difficulties.” MMS students learn new vocabulary words each week to help them reach their goal.
In the third quarter, about 68 percent of the students had met or exceeded their SRI growth target, up from 42 percent in the second quarter.
The school has also reached its goal of involving every student in a leadership role of some kind.
During the closing assembly, students in each grade explained what leadership roles they have taken on during the year.
Such roles include being involved with student council, participating in community service, helping teachers stay organized in the classroom, and guiding new students around the schools as part of a buddy program.
The students also emulated a few famous leaders that have inspired them such as Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, legendary college basketball coach John Wooden, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
Finally, after a question and answer time, Principal Pitts took the mic to close the assembly, after pointing out that he was the first adult speaker of the day.
Pitts explained the process he and other faculty members at the school went through to begin implementing the Leader in Me program.
He said he was originally a bit skeptical about the program, but after visiting several other schools that have experienced success, he became convinced it would work at MMS.
Pitts believes that the skills and tools his students are learning through the program are preparing them to be successful leaders and valuable employees beyond their years in school.
However, he also emphasized the importance of encouraging leadership in students beginning at a young age.
“Our philosophy in this is that we’re in the process of turning the school over to the kids,” said Pitts. “It’s important to let our students know that they have a voice, and that they have an opportunity to change and lead in our school, our community, and the world.”
“It’s important to let our students know that they have a voice, and that they have an opportunity…to lead in our school,” said Pitts.
JESSICA ALLEN/DAILY FORUM
Avery Baker, acting as Mother Teresa, speaks about what makes a leader. Other students also represented Abraham Lincoln, legendary college basketball coach John Wooden, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.
JESSICA ALLEN/DAILY FORUM
The Maryville Middle School band performs the school song during the closing assembly of the second annual Leadership Day.
JESSICA ALLEN/DAILY FORUM
Middle school students dispersed themselves among the civic and business leaders who attended MMS’s Leadership Day to answer questions about the Leader in Me curriculum.
