Students learning at early age about assigned roles of leadership
Merrimac’s Student Lighthouse Team has developed leadership skills while committing to serve their school.
Throughout the year, students work on school improvement and community service projects, while planning leadership events.
Past contributions to the school community include a leadership garden, support for service learning project implementation, bus driver recognition breakfasts, sharing classmates’ ideas with the team for school improvement planning, and the creation of a video to teach leadership habits.
Merrimac Principal Veronica DeCicco, said student empowerment is important because it inspires them to become leaders.
Speaking with the students about leadership, she said, has helped them understand what it means to be a leader, because they see how their behavior reflects their actions.
“Since the start of the program, we have seen a change in the students’ thinking, which is the result of students realizing they have the power to change the culture of their school,” said DeCicco.
So far, students have completed several projects in the school, and at an upcoming assembly, students will give a presentation on the different elements of the project.
The Lighthouse Team was the catalyst for schoolwide student led leadership roles. Such roles include greeters, student ambassadors, tour guides, meteorologists, and hallway monitors. The roles will change throughout the school year.
“Through the student led projects, it is a chance to focus on each child’s strengths,” said Barbara Montalbano, a teaching assistant and Student Lighthouse Team Coordinator at Merrimac. “They share and explain the culture of Merrimac.”