John Storjohann, long-time Academy educator and current computer science teacher, shares his thoughts on the significance of Goal V and developing leadership skills in our students.
Goal V: Schools of the Sacred Heart commit themselves to educate to personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.
- Criterion 1: Student and adult members of the school community grow in courage and confidence as they discover new abilities, cultivate strengths, learn from mistakes, develop empathy, and exercise resilience in meeting challenges.
- Criterion 7: Sacred Heart schools recognize and educate to motivational, inspirational, and transformational leadership.
Resilience. Initiative. Commitment. Courage. Confidence. Empathy. These are just some of the necessary skills students need to succeed both in and out of school, and this set of skills becomes increasingly important as we prepare our Eighth Class students for graduation and their continued journey to adulthood. All of our students, from their first days at the Academy, are given the opportunity to learn and practice age-appropriate leadership skills and to cultivate the gifts they possess to meet new challenges, yet our Eighth Class students in particular are called upon to hone the skills they have learned in their time at the Academy to be leaders in the school community.
School events like last Friday’s All-School Assembly to welcome our students back, the activities at Camp Lakewood, the planning and execution of Congé, their expanded role at Mission Day, serving at Chemin de Fer, as well as a variety of day-to-day opportunities to take ownership of facets of community life at the Academy help our Eighth Class students practice the leadership skills that capitalize on their personal strengths and prepare them for the future. So what is “it” that we hope to instill in our students – our young leaders – in the months ahead?
- We hope to help them learn to take initiative and set the pace for those working with them as they plan student events throughout the year.
- We hope to help them learn to give feedback to their peers and to the adult members of the community in a way that affirms both the individual and the community.
- We hope to help them lead others through their mistakes – and their own! – in a way that fosters learning from the educative moments and experiences they will have.
- We hope to help them learn how to deal with stress by understanding what is within their control and influence, and what is out of their control – and to do their best even in the moments when conditions may be less than ideal.
- We hope to help them embrace empathy toward others, learning how to listen with the intent to understand and not simply respond, before committing themselves or their group to a specific action.
- We hope to help them develop critical thinking skills that will be reflected in the choices they make as an individual and as a group.
The Eighth Class lived up to all of those hopes – and more! – last week. We can’t wait to see where this year will take them!
