Navigating the Path to Leadership

Each fall, the Lower and Middle School community gathers on the Lower Terrace for a much-anticipated rite of passage: Compass Sorting. In this tradition, new students and teachers are assigned to the houses that will be their home within a home for the rest of their time at Catalina. The ceremony is the first time eighth-graders perform their role as Compass leaders, greeting the new members of their circles and welcoming them through getting-toknow-you games.

Leadership is a core component of Compass, the Lower and Middle School’s character education program. The four houses within Compass are named for the four key words of Catalina’s mission: Excellence, Spirituality, Responsibility, and Service. Within these houses are Compass circles, small groups of a mix of students from kindergarten through Grade 7, each overseen by an eighth-grader. The eighth-graders prepare for their roles as leaders in a weekly class, then put what they learn into action during all-school activities such as pep rallies, Pumpkin Olympics, and service projects. By the time they graduate, students are confident in their strengths and ready to lead with compassion. and to see what kind of leader they are, to identify it in themselves, so that is in place before they go to high school. The students flourish and find their way and passion through Compass.”

The particular focus for Grade 8 is servant leadership, which is about wanting to help others. The term most easily applies to eighth-graders’ role in leading service projects that benefit the wider community, but it’s also reflected in the way they interact with their circle members. When the leaders are engaged in their circles, their attention naturally falls to the younger students in their care. They make sure each member of their circle is noticed, included, and appreciated. Compass Program Coordinator Ibi Janko Murphy ’83, ’79 LS notes, “When you are together, joined in something that’s already larger than yourself—even if that’s playing a game—you’re collaborating. It’s not about you.” Chris Haupt, Director of Student Life, points out that servant leadership is perfectly aligned with Catalina’s mission: “You can’t help but draw on the values of service, openness, and relationships, those core values of the Catholic identity of the school.”

I think building those connections, those bonds, with the younger students really helped me believe in my own ability to connect with people.

Perhaps the single greatest task that Compass leaders have is building relationships. As the year goes on, they form bonds with each member of their group, no matter the grade. Carter Camolli, a Compass leader in the House of Responsibility, was happy to see that a second-grader in his circle had written “Carter is the best” on the sidewalk in front of his locker one day. “In my Compass group, I see lots of people forming connections with each other and forming connections with me, which is exciting,” Carter says. “At the start of the year, I was really nervous and I felt it was kind of hard to manage my group. I didn’t have a particularly quiet group. Throughout the year, we’ve gotten a lot more comfortable with each other, and that has made me feel more confident as a leader.” Hope Sallee, a Compass leader in the House of Excellence, has seen similar benefits. “I think building those connections, those bonds, with the younger students really helped me believe in my own ability to connect with people,” she says.

Chris Haupt believes these crossgrade relationships extend leadership opportunities to everyday exchanges, as when Compass leaders pass younger students in the hallway. The eighthgraders are “much more self-aware that other kids are looking at them or seeing them,” giving the students a chance to lead by example she says, adding: “They realize that it matters what they do.” Eighth-graders’ leadership is expressed in ways big and small. It comes through when they’re organizing the relays for a pep rally, engaging the group in creating cards for a service project, or making sure their circle is sitting in the right place for a performance. The eighth-graders aren’t completely alone in these endeavors. Each circle has an adult facilitator, but these adults are “the beige,” as Christy describes them. They step in when necessary—for example, in the case of a young student’s meltdown—but generally they sit back and take the lead from the eighth-grader. As the students run through activities and confront personality challenges, they start to recognize their strengths and determine which qualities serve them best as a leader. Compass helps them realize that there are many ways to lead, from working behind the scenes to shouting out in front.

The students explore these qualities in class, taking part in exercises that highlight different leadership traits, such as listening, trust-building, and flexibility. The class is also a time to prepare students for upcoming events. Ibi and Christy Pollacci, who teach the class, make sure students are comfortable with the nuts and bolts of each event and provide them with the necessary tools to set them up for success. Gradually, the students assume more responsibility themselves. Hope sums it up when she says, “As the year progresses, you become more confident in your leadership capabilities because you’ve been entrusted with this group of kids—they’re your responsibility—and we’re trained and prepared for that.”

After each activity, the students reflect on what went well and what didn’t. Christy says that at the beginning of the year, only the students you would expect to raise their hands do so. But it doesn’t take long before everyone starts to contribute. “One of the most important things about Compass is that the eighth-graders have a voice and they learn how to use it,” she says. “That’s just huge going into high school because then they’re able to advocate for themselves.”

Being a Compass leader gives students a chance to reinvent themselves. Not everyone is a born leader, but everyone can find some way to lead. The fact that Mrs. Pollaci teaches the class shows the students just how much the school believes in the importance of leadership. In the end, the students believe in it, too.