Press release from Henderson County Public Schools:
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 10, 2018) – A $200,000 grant from the N.C. General Assembly to Henderson County Public Schools will fund the expansion of Leader in Me in four more schools this school year, under the direction of two partnership organizations.
The Henderson County Education Foundation and Community Foundation of Henderson County are co-leading the effort to expand the FranklinCovey leadership model in district schools; as of this school year, Leader In Me is being implemented in eight of Henderson County Public Schools’ 23 schools.
“In the last six years, we’ve seen Dana, Sugarloaf, Mills River, and Upward elementary students realize their leadership potential through Leader In Me,” said HCPS Superintendent Bo Caldwell. “This year, it will be exciting to see the same transformation at Atkinson Elementary, Edneyville Elementary, Fletcher Elementary and North Henderson High, as students adopt the Leader In Me’s 21st century life and leadership skills,” Caldwell said.
North Henderson High is one of only 100 high schools nationwide, and one of two in North Carolina, to integrate the LEAD High School model into school curriculum and culture. The LEAD model builds professionals-in-training by encouraging students to find their voice and develop critical skills that will help them successfully navigate college, career, and life.
At North Henderson, each student will weekly participate in a new “7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” course. Additionally, seniors will receive instruction from the “Find Your Voice” course, focused on career readiness skills like resume-building, digital citizenship, social media etiquette, and more.
The Leader In Me at Atkinson, Edneyville, and Fletcher elementaries will follow the same model as in other elementary schools, focused on improving school culture with the belief that every child has genius and everyone can be a leader.
“After touring some Henderson County Public Schools and observing firsthand the remarkable results of this program, I knew that I wanted to find a way to help expand Leader in Me,” said Sen. Chuck Edwards. “The process needs funding to begin, but what really makes a difference for our young people is the passion and commitment of the educators. I commend their devotion to helping grow our children’s education well beyond a traditional textbook.”
“This grant helps leverage gifts from businesses and individuals in our community, allowing us to implement the first year of Leader In Me in four new schools,” said Summer Stipe, executive director of HCEF. “We continue to look for partners in supporting subsequent years of implementation, and the expansion of the Leader In Me in our district.”
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