Monday, November 10, 2014
Monday, November 3, 2014
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!
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