LEADERSHIP PROGRAM - High School

 

Leadership is taught, modeled, and expected at every level at Our Lady of the Elms School. There is an emphasis on the leadership disposition of women which is collaborative as opposed to hierarchical and is focused on social justice.

• Students who hold elected positions as class, club and Coalition officers are enrolled and evaluated in a Leadership course. Student leaders meet with their moderators routinely to plan and implement activities. Through a more formal process of evaluation, student leaders set leadership goals each semester under the mentorship of their moderator. Their semi-annual evaluation includes an assessment of their progress toward those goals as well as in leadership sub-categories such as inclusiveness, problem-solving, strategic planning, communication, teamwork and stewardship of resources.

• Coalition is the Elms student government. There is a Coalition representative from every class and club. Coalition provides meaningful and fun activities for the entire school such as Elms Olympics, the annual Fall Fling to welcome freshmen to the high school scene, and a week that educates students and staff on Women’s History, Black History, and other aspects of diversity. Coalition also serves as a forum for new ideas and collaborative problem-solving.

• Two leadership workshops are offered each year. Over the years, topics have ranged from consensus building and delegation to personal and team mission statements.

• Every leadership position at the Elms is filled by a young woman. There are more than 60 elected student leadership positions.

• Elms students participate in Junior Leadership Akron, Stow- Munroe Falls Youth Leadership program, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY), the National Youth Leadership Council, National Youth Leaders State Conference, National Youth Leadership Forum (medicine, law and national defense) and other opportunities as they arise.

• Seniors serve as Big Sister role models for the ninth graders.

• Students serve on retreat teams to plan and facilitate younger students’ retreats.

• Small class size ensures that each student finds and develops her “voice” – explaining her position, asking her questions, or analyzing opposing viewpoints. Elms graduates can identify their fellow all-girls alumnae in college classrooms and labs. They are the ones who actively participate in class discussions with their professors.

The Elms Leadership Formula has proven successful in educating future women leaders since 1923.