LEAD Learning to
new program that brings together eighth and ninth grade students from Horizons and NCCS is far surpassing the expectations of the educators who helped bring it to life less than two years ago. Why has it been so successful? According to Horizons at NCCS Executive Director Nancy von Euler and the team that helped get it launched, the answer is simple: When the adults step back, the
(Above) NCCS and Horizons students in Grades 8 and 9 start their meeting with an ice-breaker activity.
students will take the lead. The result is an organic, authentic collaboration. “It is truly student-centric,” said Mrs. von Euler. “The students helped design it from the ground up, and when they meet, they run the show.” It started from an observation Nehemie Moise, Family and Program Director for Horizons, made during a training session that paired older students with
“It is truly student-centric.The students helped design it from the ground up, and when they meet, they run the show.” —Nancy von Euler, Horizons at NCCS Executive Director
younger buddies. Ms. Moise noticed that the dynamic among the eighth and ninth grade students was very different when no younger students were around.
religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, hometowns and
“It was more genuine, more connected. There was synergy
schools, on Saturdays throughout the school year.
and energy we hadn’t seen before,” she said. She saw that the
From the beginning, educators overseeing the program knew
students were eager for leadership training and excited about
their goal was to build capacity within the students to lead
their shared purpose. “The students were having conversations
through personal development, the creation of authentic and
about what leadership looks like.”
trusting relationships, and a shared exploration of issues facing
That was the seed that grew into the LEAD (Leadership,
their communities.
Exploration, Action, and Development) Program, which now brings
“In the past we have struggled to find ways to authentically
together a group of 20 students in Grades 8 and 9, an equal mix
bring two communities together. This felt like an important
from NCCS and Horizons, representing a variety of racial, ethnic,
step forward. That both communities benefited and one is discover more countryschool.net
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