When Leaders Emerge

Alzar School | 10.05.19

“If you can hear my voice clap once.” Such a simple phrase that holds so much power, the power to get the attention of a group. At Alzar School, students not only develop the understanding of what it means to lead in the classroom, they practice what it means to learn through action. Parents’ Weekend, which took place May 6th-10th, is overflowing with examples of students leadership, and it left me, as the Alzar School Leadership teacher, brimming with pride for all of the many acts of leadership that I witnessed throughout the weekend. Here are seven stand-out examples:

Ben helping out by taking out the trash and compost.
  1. Alivia, Rebecca, Abe T. and Henry led an instructive, meaningful and thoughtful dinner circle with all of the Alzar school staff, students, and visiting families. It was a special moment for families to be part of one of our daily traditions.

  2. Emily facilitated an engaging academic presentation on Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle, seamlessly engaging the audience with well-planned activities and humor.

  3. At dinner, while his table mates were amidst conversation, Rowan quietly stood up grabbed the empty napkin holder, and then brought it back full.

  4. Hannah and Kylee taught an engaging and accurate presentation on Wilderness First Aid, being accoladed by Justin Kleberg, the Director of Expeditions and Risk Management, for their humor, accuracy, and planning.

  5. 37 students diligently working together to ensure that meals were cleaned and classrooms were set up in record time. They embodied the idea of expeditionary behavior, putting your team before yourself.

  6. Dylan accurately walking her parents through the detailed process of developing her Culminating Leadership Project, explaining that not only has she been focusing on developing a project idea, but also what she is and isn’t passionate about along the way.

  7. While giving a presentation on plot graphs, Anna quickly adjusted her presentation plan from using the movie “Frozen” as an example to using “The Lion King” to meet her audience’s needs.

While Parents’ Weekend is many things here at the Alzar School, it is most importantly a showcase of all of the growth that students have demonstrated throughout their semester. Families not only bared witness to the busy schedule and shared living spaces of their students, but also to their strong relationships with peers, their dynamic relationship with faculty, their increased confidence when public speaking, honed presentation skills, and the pride that students feel when showing their families what being an Alzar School student is all about.