June 17, 2004

Leadership academy ignites student unity at Pioneer

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

Forty-five students representing a cross-section of student leaders on the Pioneer High School campus, including officers of the Associated Student Body (ASB), athletes, and Latino and African-American club members, recently joined together in the Ignite Leadership Academy program to find a common ground.

Pioneer High School, the first local public school to take part in this leadership program, partnered with Ignite following the initiative of Assistant Principal of Activities Rick Miritz. “The students that we worked with were recommended by staff, coaches, teachers, and counselors,” notes Ignite Leadership consultant Regina Reilly.

“What happened over the course of a three-day workshop (given over a three-month period) on leadership is that these students came together.”

“As soon as I let my guard down, and let go of my ‘cool card,’ I was able to help others do the same,” shares water polo player Whitney Feezor. “We created a bond with this group that has not been present among any of the leadership groups I’ve been with in the past.”

Feezor learned as a leader how to become a better team player. “I don’t have to do everything myself,” she remarks. “Listening to others, and not dominating the scene, is not only better for the leader, but for everyone in the group. I’ve also learned that supporting and encouraging others is a very positive thing. If we can apply all that we’ve learned, we will have one of the most productive leadership groups that we’ve ever seen at Pioneer High School.”

The Ignite Leadership Academy mission is to design and deliver leadership and mentoring programs to the schools. “When we empower the students themselves, they have a direct impact on their school climate and academics,” comments Reilly. “The leadership academy provides a unique opportunity to take a look at different styles of leadership and a set of tools that will enable student leaders to be more effective. The students take ownership and become stake-holders in their school.”

According to Reilly, Ignite helps facilitate the training, which is student-driven. In fact, an ‘A Team,’ made up of 12 students representing different sectors of the student body, met with her beforehand to discuss the challenges they faced on their campus, and helped design the Leadership Academy that worked best for Pioneer High School. Most importantly, the ‘A Team’ was made up of students from different socio-economic as well as cultural backgrounds.

“We worked with these leaders and listened to their concerns, and designed the Leadership Academy including their input in all that we did,” affirms Reilly. “So, this very talented group of students—who have already exhibited leadership abilities—spent three days in leadership training, learning tools to better understand themselves, as well as others, and how to work more effectively together. We asked the students what they wanted to get out of the Leadership Academy, and they said they wanted to learn to work better in groups and how to motivate and inspire others around a common goal.”

Ice-breaking and teamwork exercises included students dancing and expressing themselves in front of the others, and helping each other step through a maze without talking. “We had to break out of our shells,” states ASB treasurer David Grometer.

Student Ana Castro says that she felt intimidated in the beginning of the Leadership Academy program, but stayed with it because she wanted to learn more about the group as well as herself. “I did it and I’m grateful,” asserts Castro. “I stepped out of my box and learned a lot about how to adapt to others.”

For Grometer, participating in the Ignite Leadership Academy was an opportunity to express his feelings, practice speaking in front of others, and connect with a diverse student body. “There were people you wouldn’t expect to see in there, which is good. It wasn’t just the honor students, or the kids who are normally in the leadership class, but kids from the Latino Club, and parts of campus that aren’t normally represented, kids that I normally might not have met,” he comments. Grometer feels that he did make a connection with the other students. “A lot of the people I had seen around campus before, but I feel like we just jelled so much,” he says. “I recently saw a girl who’s on the volleyball and softball teams, and we waved to each other and said ‘Hi,’ and asked, ‘How are you doing?’ That was neat.”

Reilly has heard from parents that the students who come home after participating in Day One of the leadership academy are so excited that they don’t stop talking about it. Between Day Two and Day Three, the students are asked to adopt two or three other students in their family, neighborhood, or sports team and ‘pay it forward,’ demonstrating the principles they’ve learned. For example, shares Reilly, a swimmer told her that although she wouldn’t have before, she approached a new teammate, asking her, ‘How’s it going? Have you met everybody?’

After the students have gone through the icebreaker, and team-building, on the final day, they do activities designed to help them examine their feelings on issues like honor, integrity, and respect.

“We are very excited to be bringing this program to schools, and are looking forward to seeing what the students at Pioneer are going to be doing with their new skills,” says Reilly. “We will do a reconnect and a goal-setting session in the fall with the students, and with Assistant Principal Miritz in a support role, and continue to offer them tools and training to ensure they reach their goals. The biggest thing they want to do at Pioneer High School is to unite their student body.”

“The Leadership Academy taught me life lessons like how to work with others to get the best results and how to make a better team,” acknowledges Grometer. “There was one day where we decided to go around school and give high-fives to people, and just be considerate of others. I think if we could spread that around campus, Pioneer would be even better than it is right now.”