Inside even the quietest child, there lies a leader; therefore, at Rohan Woods, leaders are not made, they are nurtured. A strong tenet of the school's mission, leadership values are a central part of the education and culture at Rohan Woods School.
As a culmination of its leadership program, sixth graders are assigned a specific project to carry out during their final year at Rohan Woods. The projects are meant to improve the overall quality of the school, while allowing each student to hone his or her leadership skills, known as Rohan Woods' Seven C's of Leadership." These include:
Courage - Compassion - Convictions - Commitment
Character - Competence - Charisma
At the beginning of each school year, a list of project topics is given to students, who then choose their top choices. Assignments are typically given in pairs, as teamwork is highlighted as a central component to the overall leadership project. This year's leadership projects included:
- School Newspaper
- Recycling
- Beautification
- Yearbook
- School Store
- Blood Drive
- Student Ambassadors
With the assistance from faculty mentors, students create an implementation plan for the year. Students track their progress, noting their successes and failures along the way. A school-wide assembly in the spring allows each student the opportunity to present a custom-made PowerPoint presentation of their project to their fellow students, faculty and families.
"The Sixth Grade Leadership experience challenges each student to create a project that, in the end, allows them to leave a long-lasting, positive impression on the school as they themselves prepare to move on to secondary school," commented Sixth Grade Teacher Macci Bowers. "Leadership and learning are such powerful partners because you can't have one without the other. It's always incredible to see how much students learn about themselves as they move through this process. It's definitely as much about self-discovery as it is about leadership. And in the end, a strong leader is someone who not only has the confidence of knowing who they are, but also has the courage to ask for help along the way."