Countless words fill the room as Junior Wesley Long and Senior Sydney McBurnett discuss with the rest of the student leadership class to plan for the next Bowie event.
Student Leadership is a unique class that teaches you how to become a great leader. This class focuses on the growth of leadership skills. The class is open to all juniors and seniors who apply and are chosen after going through an interview process.
“I just signed up for FIT to get interviewed,” Long said. “He interviewed us by asking questions and then he let us know if we were in the class or not.”
For the past two years Trey Lindsey, the boys basketball coach, has been the teacher for student leadership. Coming from a background of leadership, Lindsey was able to smoothly transition from being a college basketball coach to a high school teacher.
“I got my master’s in leadership and change from St. Edward’s University,” Lindsey said. “When I was interviewing for the basketball position, Mr. Robinson told me that the leadership class was open, it was something I was just interested in. Something that I’ve studied and dealt with, so it really just seemed kind of like a natural fit.”
There is never a dull moment in Student Leadership. According to Lindsey, he strives to challenge each and every student and ensure that they leave class learning something new every day.
“You get to try, fail, and succeed in our little group. When out in public, failure sometimes can be tough,” Lindsey said. “Here it’s perfectly fine, you’re free, you’re safe to fail, it’s a safe space for you and you’re gonna be around your peers and people that care about you. So I think that’s a really unique situation for a class. I think it’s a lot fun to teach, and a lot of fun to be around.”
The students are another reason why this class is so unique. There are about thirty members who all apply themselves and are willing to step out of their comfort zone and face the possibility of failure. There are always in-depth conversations happening and the students work well with one another.
“We hit a home run with our group of kids,” Lindsey said. “I’ll be very honest. We’ve got high achievers, we’ve got kids that are super friendly and super outgoing, that love to work with each other, and that are willing to put themselves out there and be a little uncomfortable. So every day in class is terrific. There’s an amazing energy in the class that I love being in. It’s not a class that when you walk in, it’s silent.”
Each day there is a leader lesson that allows the students to learn about what leadership is, how to be a leader, and how to better communicate with peers. Student Leadership also has running service projects throughout the year that impact the campus and the Bowie community. Additionally, they do volunteer projects to help other community members.
“Student Leadership is a class where we help out around Bowie and No Place for Hate,” Long said. “We will go to elementary schools and volunteer for kids, we’ll mentor our peers and students from other schools, and we also give back to the community.”
Chick-fil-A reached out and now sponsors Student Leadership. According to Long, this is a very exciting opportunity for the program. The members received Chick-fil-A and had the chance to volunteer with them.
“We are doing a book drive [with Chick-fil-A],” Long said. “They gave us books and we went to elementary schools, YMCAs, and local events to give out the books and teach kids how to read.”
“[While] doing this project with Chick Fil A and I’ve learned how to be a better leader and how to be nice to other people,” said McBurnett.
Being a part of Student Leadership means understanding how to step up and what makes someone a good leader. The students complete daily activities that teach them to be impactful leaders and how to change the world around them.
“An important part of being a leader is knowing what you’re doing and making sure everybody’s involved and making sure you’re doing the right thing,” Long said. Being a good leader means you are not being afraid to speak up and make sure what you’re saying is accurate and it’ll benefit the group”
In this class, members will gain necessary skills that will promote their leadership skills. This includes speaking in front of the class, how to take the lead in projects, and how to work well with all kinds of people.
“For this class, you need to be prepared to put yourself in different, unique situations,” said McBurnett. “You also need to speak up. In some ways, this class pushes me out of my comfort zone.”
According to McBurnett student leadership is exciting and fun, the volunteer hours and the leadership skills will help you succeed in life.
“I hope that all of our students will leave and understand that you can do it all and you can be great at everything,” Lindsey said. I’m not saying you’re gonna be elite at each thing you do, but you can put in the effort and put yourself out there and it’s okay to really care and give energy in everything you do.”
