Dear You: You are amazing!!

This is such an easy thing that makes a big difference. Make up your own compliments. I did. It's a culture reinforcer. Hang them all over your building. Your biggest barrier will be keeping the compliments stocked up. Enjoy!!

Leadership Exchange

We had an amazing group of students at our school the other day for a Leadership Exchange. I’ll call it “Lead the Leaders.” We’ve done this many times before but every time we do it, I feel compelled to write about our experiences so more people can be aware of this powerful event.

We invited a group of students from a school in another county to our school (about thirty). The other school was a lot different than ours in terms of ethnic makeup.  This benefited both schools because we were able to share more about ourselves. We mixed in thirty of our students from our Renaissance Street Team. Our Street Team is as close to a student council as you can get. The students prepare different types of team building events and ice-breakers.

When the students arrived at our school, we played loud music playing in our auditorium. We literally roll out a red carpet as they come in. The rest of the students line up on each side of the carpet to high five them as they walk down the carpet. We start with a dance i.e. the a conga line then the Cha Cha Slide.

I made some introductions then we went into an icebreaker facilitated by one of our eighth grade students. A short video and some quick leadership theory headed us into our next activity: Name One Great Thing About Your School. We posted these great things on the wall.

We write down goals for the day on something conspicuous. This year, we used rocks. I ask the students to write down leadership words during the day. Write as many as you can. The students trade team building activities and ideas all day. And of course, we eat lunch.

One of the funniest games is Mission Impossible, a truly great team building experience. The kids are on teams and have to get to the other side of the gym without touching the floor.

Then we get back together and debrief the day. This year, we awarded small trophies, lined the students on stage, and played the National Anthem. Trust me; I just gave you the shortened version.

I tell the students and adults that the real work begins when we are done. After the other school leaves, our teachers start brainstorming. I’m sure the other school starts on the bus ride home. I put together a video with the pictures and video clips from the day. Wow! This is something every organization should do. You never know when inspiration will hit you but we knew this day!