Students Lead the Way in Lower School
In some elementary schools, students who have done or achieved something special receive stars, stickers, or “brag tags,” which they proudly wear for a time.
At Principia Lower School, our educators have tweaked this approach and use MAG Tags—where MAG stands for Magnify the Good! These colorfully designed tags celebrate specific qualities of character, leadership, and citizenship that students demonstrate in their interactions with each other and with adults during the school day.
The tags are just one element of a comprehensive leadership development initiative launched at the Lower School this year, explains Interim Principal Heather Tibbetts. She and her team of teachers drew their inspiration from The Leader in Me, a book they read as part of their professional development a couple of summers ago. “We are being very intentional about how we’re rolling this idea out—trying to create many different avenues for students to see and hear how their peers and teachers are expressing and modeling attributes such as kindness, consideration, inclusivity, and leadership,” Tibbetts says.
This initiative includes these key elements:
- A year-long focus on “seven habits” for effectiveness (originally written for adults and later adapted for teens and younger children by author and life coach Steven Covey)
- The re-introduction of a Student Leadership Council, which includes representatives from grades 3 through 5
- The introduction of multi-grade Houses
Seven Key Habits
Every week, in addition to Monday chapels, the entire Lower School gathers in the newly renovated and expanded lobby space for a leadership “rally” focused on the seven habits. On the first Friday of the month, there is a buzz in the air as students await the “reveal” of that month’s habit, which is introduced with fanfare and then explained and discussed.
At subsequent Friday rallies, activities reinforcing that month’s habit include reading aloud from literature related to the theme and participating in an activity that helps concretize the habit. Recently, for example, to close out Habit #3, “Putting First Things First,” a representative from Papa Murphy’s Pizza visited Lower School to demonstrate how this habit applies to life—and to step-by-step pizza making! Collaborating in their Houses, the students had a great time placing ingredients in the right order to prepare delicious mini pizzas that they later enjoyed as part of their lunch. The final Friday of the month includes a celebration of all the students who have been called out by their peers (or teachers) for exemplifying that month’s habit through specific actions.
Student Leaders in Action
The members of the Student Leadership Council develop communication and leadership skills even before serving on the council. They are required to go through a rigorous application process, including writing an essay, requesting teacher references, and obtaining their parents’ approval. The six-member council meets twice a month with the principal to discuss how to support the Lower School culture and also to rotate their weekly duties—which can include leading the pledge at Monday Lower School assemblies; being a greeter at the morning car line, when students are dropped off; or supporting compost- and trash-bin use at lunch time. These students also serve as “tour guides” for visiting families and parents and are given increasing responsibility for initiating, communicating, and leading activities for their peers
For instance, this Halloween, the Student Leadership Council organized a “candy drive” to share the students’ trick-or-treat bounty more widely. A fifth grader on the council suggested presenting the goodies to children at an orphanage near where he lives in Alton, Illinois. And once 60 little bags of candy had been packed and delivered to the 60 children at the orphanage, he suggested giving members of the armed forces the mountain of sweets left over from the 172 lbs. of candy lower schoolers had generously contributed. Since this student’s father works in a military canine unit, the Lower School is now preparing care packages (which will include a dog treat or toy) for all members of that unit.
“With focused leadership time each week, the concepts are taking root and coming alive among students,” observes Tibbetts. “We are already noticing a positive change as students identify themselves as part of one big Lower School family.”