MBE celebrates The Leader in Me program

The tables were turned in Mountain Brook Elementary on the morning of Oct. 20 when the students of the school’s Leader in Me program took over. As hosts of the Leadership Event, MBE welcomed supportive community members and stakeholders into its hallways to learn more about the program. 

Leader in Me was started four years ago at MBE after all staff and faculty members went through two days of professional development to learn more about the foundation of the program, which includes The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. By holding Leadership Events throughout the growth of the program, MBE is closer to obtaining the Lighthouse Milestone, which is awarded to schools with outstanding achievement in the Leader in Me program. 

Students within Leader in Me were in charge of the entire event, which began with a brief presentation given by the students themselves.

“The focus has been to develop leadership skills in our students so that then not only do they perform academically at a higher level, but they’re able to give back and inspire others,” said Principal Ashley McCombs.

The program has many elements that incorporate student leadership: morning meetings within classroom communities, grade-level celebrations, interest clubs called guilds, grade-specific service projects, leadership binders to track goals and achievements, and the Lancer League.

The Lancer League features students who are divided into four groups: the Heralds, who make weekly announcements to their homerooms; the Squires, who give tours of the school and help at assemblies; the Knights, who serve as the “student voice” for the school and help teach others the seven habits; and the Scribes, who use creativity to make fliers, signs and bulletins when needed. 

During the tour, community members met with students to learn about their role in The Leader in Me, discuss their goals and accomplishments and see the spaces students work in. 

Recently, the school has added a Makerspace where the students can create and problem solve in a creative format, as well as a STEAM room, which houses the school’s robotics club. The STEAM room focuses on five core subjects: science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. This method is an alteration of former STEM programs, which did not include art, and is a rising educational pathway. 

“We’re very proud of what our kids are doing here,” said McCombs.