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leadership | learned
AT JUST ABOUT ANY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL in the country, you’ll find that leadership is one of the key outcomes desired for the graduates.
But how leadership is taught is key. At Peck, everything we do is rooted in the belief that “in life, knowledge must be guided by values.” It is through practicing gratitude, care, respect, and our other core values that Peck’s faculty and staff both intentionally model and support the development of the intangible leadership skills that equal success in high school, college, and life.
“As a school, we instill a sense of leadership in our students that is grounded in our belief in showing consideration of and for others,” said Head of School Andy Delinsky.
“This type of leadership is uniquely valuable in today’s world which is rife with opportunities for progress and change.”
Teaching Leadership Daily
Unlike traditional school subjects, there isn’t a curriculum for teaching leadership. Instead, it is developed and honed through risk-taking, self-reflection, and collaboration.
This focus is intentionally woven into all aspects of the Peck program from the core academic subjects, arts, and athletics, to the softer moments during Family Dining, Reach Across, and the Downy/Redhead Competition.
While all schools have leadership opportunities such as Student Council, school newspapers and yearbooks, and sports captains, Peck values and prioritizes the ‘less visible’ forms of leadership that promote a sense of agency and ownership within their community.
Through Peck’s Family Dining program, students take turns captaining a lunch table. That includes everything from setting and clearing the table, serving the food, and guiding classmates in discussion.
Through Reach Across, Upper School students mentor and bond with younger students through social and community service activities.
And the school’s signature Downy/Redhead program allows students to earn points for their team throughout the year not only through competitions and events, but also for living Peck’s core values in daily life.
Leading With a Focus on Community
“Schools want strong students, but they definitely want students who will enhance their community in a variety of ways,” said Director of Secondary School Counseling Christine Williams.
“They know Peck students will have a voice, and will have had a role in making an impact on our community. Whereas other applicants can say they want to contribute or they are interested in something, our students have actually done it.”
Williams says Peck has a reputation for graduating students with a variety of leadership skills.
"Leadership is about knowing oneself and knowing that, in a whole class of students, they can’t all lead the same way." she said.
"Peck teaches students to be authentically comfortable identifying what their interests are, what talents they have to bring to the table, and how they can leverage both of those things into something useful for the community."
For example, through the Eighth Grade Capstone project, students experience the highs and lows of designing a project from conception to implementation—a process that includes a lot of problem-solving, communicating their ideas, and sometimes working with other classmates.
“By the time students reach eighth grade, they have the compassion, respect, and care, but they also have the math, science, design, and technology skills to actually attempt to solve real-world problems.”
Leadership is about knowing oneself, and knowing that in a whole class of students they can’t all lead the same way. Peck teaches students to authentically be comfortable identifying what their interests are, what talents they have to bring to the table, and how they can leverage both of those things into something useful for the community.
In the past, students have made and sold various homemade items to raise money for local and global charities, such as BlinkNow, an organization with a longstanding relationship with Peck.
“Studies show that students who not only learn the hard skills like math, reading, and science, but who also learn interpersonal skills through a social and emotional learning curriculum are not only more successful, but they are also happier and more fulfilled,” said Lower School Psychologist Ashley Tabor. That’s why it’s ingrained in the Peck program to foster an environment that prioritizes those skills.
“One of the ways we know it’s working is because we have students who, on their own, outside of the classroom, organize fund-drives or collections for local non-profit organizations,” said Head of the Lower School Nina Sharma.
“Our kids leave Peck with a sense of commitment to a greater purpose and the fortitude to know they can make a difference.”
A Job Well Done
Another way Peck celebrates these qualities is through Job Well Done tickets given to students for showing agency, ownership, and ‘consideration of others.’
Tickets earn points for the two schoolwide teams, the Downys and the Redheads. In the first six months of the 2020-21 school year, teachers and administrators awarded 1,346 Job Well Done tickets for a variety of daily actions: holding the door open for a peer or teacher, showing kindness and compassion to a classmate, or demonstrating a growth mindset.
Peck students are recognized for things like “setting a remarkable example during reading zone,” for “picking up someone’s coat and hanging it on a hook,” for “holding a door after recess and carrying equipment,” and for “highly astute and observant contributions in class today.”
While Job Well Done tickets are shared with students and their families, the reason why they are earned is not publicly announced. This helps to reinforce the idea that showing leadership should not be simply performative or dependent on accolades, but that true leadership comes from doing something ‘because it’s the right thing to do.’
But perhaps sixth-grader Bianca Petrucci summed it up best when she reflected on her Peck education.
