"We have seen dramatic changes in our staff and in our students," one principal says.
Western Salisbury Elementary School fourth-grader Kaitlyn Macauley confidently strode up to the podium to tell the crowd how she's become a leader.
She didn't hesitate to share how she integrates "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" into her daily life as an elementary student. "Habit 1: be proactive - you're in charge" means Kaitlyn always follows all the rules even if her baby sitter doesn't know them all.
Or "No. 6: synergize- together is better" taught Kaitlyn to work together and that differences don't matter because we're all the same on the inside.
Salisbury Township School District is one of a slew of Lehigh Valley school districts embracing the "Leader in Me" school transformation model, which relies on the leadership principles outlined in the books "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People"and "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids."
Harry S. Truman Elementary School Principal Barbara Samide said a student told her Tuesday morning that before the program they just did things, but now students stop and think first.
"We have seen dramatic changes in our staff and in our students," Samide said.
St. Luke's University Health Network and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children are partnering with Al Douglass, of the Douglass Group, to sponsor Western Salisbury and Harry S. Truman and Bangor Area Middle School. The Salisbury schools will receive more than $13,000 to cover training and materials while Bangor will see $13,000 for consulting, training materials, licenses and coaching packages.
The Bethlehem Area School District has six schools this year using "Leader in Me" and Bangor's DeFranco Elementary School is in its third year using the curriculum, said Anne Crossan, client partner for Franklin Covey Education Practice. A handful of Allentown and Easton Area school district buildings will pilot the program during the 2014 school year, Crossan said.
Douglass has been a pioneer bringing "Leader in Me" to the Lehigh Valley, Bethlehem Superintendent Joseph Roy said. Bethlehem Area has been relying on grant funding from the "I Am A Leader Foundation" to implement the program, which Roy said costs about $40,000 per school, as well as Douglass and other business leaders.
"Our plan is to roll it out a few schools at a time," Roy said.
Douglass introduced Glen Bressner, managing partner of Originate Ventures as well as a member of St. Christopher's board of directors, to the program and he went on to sponsor Bethlehem's Lincoln Elementary School. And now he's helped to get St. Christopher's involved.
"I knew I had to be involved," he said, calling the program transformational.