Action-Team Ideas for The Leader in Me

The Leader in Me process has many facets, but one area that truly lets students shine is our action-team process.

 

“Over the last year, I have witnessed leadership demonstrated at high levels when principals have utilized our action-team process. In other words, school leaders are mastering the art of delegation with a great tool that we call action teams!”

—Shonda Hardman

 

We have compiled a list of ideas from our coaches from what they see is happening in current Leader in Me Schools. We hope this will help you come up with some ways to foster leadership opportunities in your school and with your students.

“One of my favorite ways in which I have seen leadership modeled in schools is when the entire staff, both classified and certified, establish a personal WIG and share his or her scoreboard with the students.”

—Jill Scheulen

• Students answering phones and dismissing buses at the end of the day.
• Students leading the school in the pledge at the beginning of the day.
• Students running the newscast daily.
• Students teaching students in the classroom.
• Students facilitating Morning Circle and calendar time.
• Students leading guided-reading groups.
• Students leading tours and writing the weekly newsletter.
• Students leading parent and business-partner breakfasts.
• Students leading fifth-grade graduation.
• Students buddy-reading lower grades and special-needs students.
• Students developing and publishing the annual yearbook.
• Students creating and facilitating community-service projects.
• Students leading parent-education sessions.
• Students leading arts night and STEM nights.
• Students being your guides/ambassadors.
• Students doing bus and car duty.
• Students advising the administration.
• Students presenting the school-improvement plan at Board of Education meetings.
• Student announcement leaders.
• Student environment leaders.
• Student welcome wagon.
• Student flag leaders.
• Student spirit leaders.
• Student synergy leaders.
• Student WIG leaders.
• Student celebration leaders.
• Student fun czars.

—Idea contributions from Betsy Wierda, Lynn Kosinski, and Ashley Green

“One of my favorite “outside the box” integrations is through staff/student interests. A few of my schools have created leadership clubs. Ideas are generated from creating input systems and empowering student and staff voices. Either weekly or biweekly, the school schedule allows times for these groups to meet and enjoy each other. A variation to this is to use the same format of voice and choice, but the groupings are centered around service projects.”

—Tracey Holland

“Some of the more simple yet incredibly impactful demonstrations of leadership come in the form of a gracious welcome to new students and their families. I’m in awe of student “welcome wagon” teams who offer up school tours and homework hotlines, Parent Lighthouse Teams who greet new families with a care package and a smile, and teachers who make special phone calls home to offer words of encouragement and affirmation. Here leadership manifests itself in warmth, relationships, and hospitality.”

—Sarah Ann Taylor

There are so many ways to hand the baton of leadership to our students and allow them to build their confidence and develop their talents. We know the ideas we have listed in this post are just a starting point, and we would love to have you share your ideas on action-teams your school is using or other ways you foster leadership in your school on our Facebook and Twitter outlets.