LEAD Legacy: Developing Servant Leaders

by: Madi Bixler

At Legacy, we seek to build strong leaders with biblical convictions. This tenet of the school’s mission statement relates to community, curriculum, athletics, and student groups. In the Upper School, one of the ways we develop leaders is through our student-led LEAD Legacy organization.

“LEAD Legacy was created several years ago to provide a ‘working lab’ for students to lead in the Upper School culture,” says Kevin Mosley, Head of School. Traditional studentgovernment models didn’t properly reflect the mission of LCA, “so,” he says, “LEAD Legacy was born with a distinct biblical model of servant leadership at its core.” LEAD Legacy provides students with a practicum to implement what they’ve learned, stretch their comfort zone, receive mentoring, and fail forward. LEAD Legacy, championed by Will Weaver and assisted by Cheryl Crawford, helps students develop character and build leadership skills, all within a framework of success and accountability. “The pillars of the program are GROW, KNOW, GO, and SHOW,” says Mr. Weaver. Students grow in personal awareness, come to know leadership skills, go into the culture and community, and show their leadership practically.

Back row (l to r): Christian de Moor, Madeline Bryant, Keegan Wechsler, Will Mida, Landry Burkhalter Front Row (l to r): Karis Fulks, Ally Aycock, Joshua Chung, Kadynce Matsuoka, and Mackenzie Ridout

Acting out these pillars is accomplished in two ways — through a curriculum component and through collaboration on one of the five LEAD Legacy teams. “Our curriculum introduces leadership theory,” Mr. Weaver says. “It focuses on the history of leadership, practical skills, goal-setting practices, and approaches to various sorts of leadership. Our five student-led teams each have their unique mission statement and exist to shape student life and culture in specific ways.”

Membership in this organization is entirely voluntary. Students are eligible to be a part of LEAD Legacy in their sophomore year, once they’ve had the chance to experience the Upper School culture. Each of the five teams is led by two student chairs, who undergo a rigorous application, interview, and presentation process. “Chair-students are usually spending between one and five hours a week on LEAD Legacy,” says Mrs. Crawford.

“It’s leadership and discipleship,” Mr. Weaver says. Beyond the chair-students, all five teams comprise a group of students, usually sophomores and juniors, and two faculty or staff mentors. “There’s a formative value of being on a team,” Mr. Weaver says. “In order to be a good team leader, we should understand how to be a good team member.”

Our LEAD Legacy teams all serve the entire student body, but each maintains its own unique mission.

· Service is at the heart of leadership. The Service Team demonstrates God’s love and creates a lasting impact through community partnerships and serving the LCA community. Its members coordinate service opportunities for students — both on and off campus — and help students from the Lower School through the Upper School give time and energy to others. “Last spring, during Revive

Week, our Service team arranged for the student body to assemble care baskets for the assisted living home we work with,” says Mr. Weaver. The team also works with

Cornerstone Ranch, a ministry serving special needs adults. The team serves LCA as well: “Last year, every LCA

Lower School student got a letter of encouragement from someone in the Upper School,” he says.

Top: Communications Chairs Keegan Wechsler and Joshua Chung lead a committee meeting Bottom: The sevice team plans their next project

· The Special Events Team provides opportunities to involve students in what’s happening on campus, building strong relationships and memories that will last a lifetime. “This team upholds school traditions,” says

Mrs. Crawford. The Special Events Team coordinates and plans Homecoming Week, Prom, the Thanksgiving Feast, and Christmas festivities, and even plans smaller events, such as cookies during finals.

· A critical part of LCA, the Spiritual Formation Team is devoted to building disciples. Its members encourage students to develop and deepen a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, grow in biblical wisdom, and become the “salt and light” of the world. Bible studies, worship nights, mentoring programs, and Revive Week are all organized by the Spiritual Formation Team. “It’s the little things, too,” Mr. Weaver says. “Last year, the Spiritual

Formation Team decorated the school with scripture on sticky notes.” Its goal is to point our student body toward

Jesus in big and small ways.

· The Community Team embraces all students. “This team centers its work on making connections with students to foster an inclusive culture,” Mrs. Crawford says. “Pep rallies, spirit crew, and student ambassadors — those are embedded in this team as well.” Building student engagement and promoting social initiatives help accomplish the Community Team’s purpose of uniting the student body. “Serving on this team has taught me how to communicate with a variety of audiences, as we communicate with all of the schools — the Lower, the Middle, and the Upper,” says Team Chair

Karis Fulks, an LCA senior.

· The Communications Team helps keep our students informed to create connections and foster a Christcentered community. This team manages special recognitions, schoolwide email blasts, social media, and morning announcements. The Communications Team is important, says Chair Keegan Wechsler, a senior, because

“we’re uniting the student body. We communicate and encourage people to go to extracurricular events.

Personally,” he says, “I’ve seen more people attending these events than I’ve seen in earlier years.”

Top: Community Cochair Christian de Moor helps the committee map out a plan Bottom: Special Events team is busy planning homecoming

Madi Bixler (’14) attended the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating in 2017 with a BS in Supply Chain Management. She is a supply analyst and recently graduated with her Masters at UTD.