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Leading with Purpose at Highland School
Leading with Purpose at Highland School
By Ally Blunt
At Highland School, student leaders in Key Club and Builder’s Club are not just organizing successful events, they’re building a culture of service that extends beyond their school into the broader community. These student-driven organizations emphasize leadership and community service and have become cornerstones of student life at the Warrenton school.
Key Club, a service organization in the upper school, and Builder’s Club, comprised of middle school students, are both part of Kiwanis Club International, a nonprofit organization encouraging students to engage in service activities and develop leadership skills. At Highland, these clubs offer students a hands-on opportunity to make a difference, organizing projects ranging from holiday charitable events and food drives to working with the Fauquier Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
While these clubs provide the framework, the student leaders who run the clubs and coordinate the projects truly make the difference.
Key Club has achieved significant success under the leadership of officers Cat Merchant, Madison Brennan, and Caroline Chitko, who designate club activities, host assemblies, and organize fundraisers. Club leaders set a goal this year of getting more students involved, and they exceeded that goal through their annual Thanksgiving food drive, collecting over 1,500 cans of food in the upper school for the Fauquier Food Bank.
“Being a part of Key Club has helped shape my perspective of the world around me,” Chitko said. “I’ve been pushed outside my limits to reach out to people and organizations. It’s been so rewarding to see all of our hard work and dedication to a great cause become actual results that better the community around us.”
In Builder’s Club, middle school students are learning the fundamentals of leadership and community service at a young age. The club meets every other week, and student leaders run the meetings, allowing for a safe environment to practice leadership skills and receive feedback from faculty advisers. This year’s president, Genevieve Randolph, and vice president, Allison O’Brien, have both been involved with Builder’s Club for three years and have benefitted from the positive effect of their involvement and the growth of their leadership skills.
“Builder’s Club has had such a big impact on my life,” Randolph said. “It’s helped me have better speaking abilities in front of others and helps me feel like I’m making a difference in others’ lives.”
Through meaningful community outreach projects, leaders of both clubs see firsthand the needs they are fulfilling in the community. Eileen Smith, executive director and board member for the Haymarket Regional Food Pantry, expressed her gratitude for Key Club.
“Our organization depends on generous donors like you to achieve our mission of ending food insecurity in our community,” she said in a recent correspondence. “There are times we have empty shelves and need to purchase additional food to meet the needs of our clients. Your donations are going directly to purchasing milk, eggs, food, personal hygiene, and basic household supplies to support us in our fight against food insecurity in our community.”
The work of Highland’s club leaders reaches far beyond the projects they organize. By taking on leadership roles, these students are creating a lasting culture of service at Highland and are modeling the importance of civic engagement for their peers and future generations of Highland students.
Ally Blunt is a senior at Highland School in Warrenton.
