Hello, I was nominated by my school for the Herff Jones Principal's Leadership Award and one part of the scholarship competition is writing an essay.
What can student leaders do to build a sense of community within the school and strengthen the bonds between the school and the larger community during the year? In your response, cite examples from your personal experiences or those of your fellow student leaders.
Steve Jobs said, "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." Based on my experiences as Class President, SMILE Club Co-Founder and DECA Treasurer, I feel that unique ideas and original thoughts are the most effective way for student leaders to unify both the school and the greater community.
Serving as Class President since my freshman year, I have learned quite a lot about the need for innovation. A major responsibility of class officers is to raise money for major events such as Prom and a senior trip, but I have discovered that it is no easy task to convince classmates to raise money. Recently, however, our class has developed some creative ideas that have increased participation. One such idea is "fun nights" at local restaurants, in which our class receives a portion of sales in exchange for the increased number of customers that we provide. Not only do these events raise considerable funds for class events, but the gathering of students at local restaurants fuses the bond between the school and community.
Last year, my peers and I formed SMILE Club in order to promote a healthy atmosphere at our school. One of our key concerns this year was to provide a meaningful Red Ribbon Week which would reveal the dangers of drugs while encouraging a positive school environment. To culminate the events of the week, our group created an original project titled "Plant a Pledge." Students planted a tulip bulb, representing their drug-free pledge, in a planter surrounding the school flagpole. This venture was a total community effort.; Planter designs were submitted by students, the planter was built by the Building and Grounds Department, and the tulips themselves were donated by a local nursery. It was truly wonderful to watch our diverse student body rise together over such a serious issue. I hope that the stunning visual of blooming, red tulips each year will remind students of the promise that they made. Hundreds of students and faculty members made a pledge, and I attribute the overwhelming success to public support and the fresh concept involved.
As a member of DECA, I have learned the importance of giving back to the community. My classmates and I have volunteered at the annual Halloween Parade for local kids, wrote Christmas cards to those at nursing homes, and taught elementary school children the basics about trading stocks. Each of these opportunities were unique in that they presented a fun and rewarding method for students from our organization to get involved with the larger community.
My experiences as a school leader have taught me a number of valuable lessons. Most importantly, I recognized that a true leader must be willing to develop innovative strategies when it comes to organizing events. It is uniqueness that attracts participation, and increased participation which build a sense of community in school and the greater community.
I attempted to base the essay off of my experiences as a student leader and how the best way to build a sense of community is to utilize innovative ideas. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated (from grammar to additions/subtractions). I feel like I need a stronger conclusion and possibly another sentence in my introduction if anybody has ideas. Don't be afraid to be harsh, all criticism is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!
What can student leaders do to build a sense of community within the school and strengthen the bonds between the school and the larger community during the year? In your response, cite examples from your personal experiences or those of your fellow student leaders.
Steve Jobs said, "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." Based on my experiences as Class President, SMILE Club Co-Founder and DECA Treasurer, I feel that unique ideas and original thoughts are the most effective way for student leaders to unify both the school and the greater community.
Serving as Class President since my freshman year, I have learned quite a lot about the need for innovation. A major responsibility of class officers is to raise money for major events such as Prom and a senior trip, but I have discovered that it is no easy task to convince classmates to raise money. Recently, however, our class has developed some creative ideas that have increased participation. One such idea is "fun nights" at local restaurants, in which our class receives a portion of sales in exchange for the increased number of customers that we provide. Not only do these events raise considerable funds for class events, but the gathering of students at local restaurants fuses the bond between the school and community.
Last year, my peers and I formed SMILE Club in order to promote a healthy atmosphere at our school. One of our key concerns this year was to provide a meaningful Red Ribbon Week which would reveal the dangers of drugs while encouraging a positive school environment. To culminate the events of the week, our group created an original project titled "Plant a Pledge." Students planted a tulip bulb, representing their drug-free pledge, in a planter surrounding the school flagpole. This venture was a total community effort.; Planter designs were submitted by students, the planter was built by the Building and Grounds Department, and the tulips themselves were donated by a local nursery. It was truly wonderful to watch our diverse student body rise together over such a serious issue. I hope that the stunning visual of blooming, red tulips each year will remind students of the promise that they made. Hundreds of students and faculty members made a pledge, and I attribute the overwhelming success to public support and the fresh concept involved.
As a member of DECA, I have learned the importance of giving back to the community. My classmates and I have volunteered at the annual Halloween Parade for local kids, wrote Christmas cards to those at nursing homes, and taught elementary school children the basics about trading stocks. Each of these opportunities were unique in that they presented a fun and rewarding method for students from our organization to get involved with the larger community.
My experiences as a school leader have taught me a number of valuable lessons. Most importantly, I recognized that a true leader must be willing to develop innovative strategies when it comes to organizing events. It is uniqueness that attracts participation, and increased participation which build a sense of community in school and the greater community.
I attempted to base the essay off of my experiences as a student leader and how the best way to build a sense of community is to utilize innovative ideas. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated (from grammar to additions/subtractions). I feel like I need a stronger conclusion and possibly another sentence in my introduction if anybody has ideas. Don't be afraid to be harsh, all criticism is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!