No matter the age, the school or even the early morning wakeup call on a Saturday, one thing was made resoundingly clear at last month’s Elementary Student Cooperative Association (SCA) Leadership Workshop: Students love getting involved.
The Office of Student Leadership held leadership workshop for elementary school students, and more than 200 delegates from the division’s 56 elementary schools were in attendance. It was the largest turnout for a workshop in the event’s 35 years.
This year’s theme was “Roar for Leadership” and students were divided into eight different groups (called “councils”) for the day, each named after a safari park in Africa (Etosha, Garamba, Kalahari, Mombasa, Okavango, Serengeti, Waza and Zambezi). Throughout the day, they learned how to hold effective meetings, the responsibilities of each SCA office and how to be good role models.

To add to the excitement, more than 30 high school students were also in attendance. These student leaders spent six weeks planning and training to be staff members at the workshop. They performed a welcome song and dance, put on instructional skits about group dynamics and decision making and they facilitated instructional sessions for the elementary students.
“Elementary Leadership Workshop is an exciting event for not only our elementary student leaders, but our high school student leaders, too,” said Mike McGee, director of student leadership. “Our elementary students come to the realization that there are many like-minded, motivated student leaders across the division. And, our high school students gain a sense of pride by planning the workshop and passing along the skills that they have spent years developing.”
Hooray for those high schoolers passing along the SCA community spirit!
KLMS will be celebrating its TENTH annual LWS in February, all run by KLMS alums.
What a wonderful legacy of leadership over the years for Va Beach schools.