1. “The Leader in Me” is helping schools build communities of character
see LEADER IN ME, Pg. 3
E
verywhere you turn in Holladay
Elementary School, there are
colorful posters, murals and class
projects referencing the work of
author Stephen Covey. Why is a school so
excited about the ideas of a noted business
management guru? Because, say teach-
ers, administrators and students, Covey’s
leadership principles work for education.
“We’ve ended up with an atmosphere
that is warm, caring, accepting, and has
high expectations,” said Kim Olsen, prin-
cipal of Elizabeth Holladay Elementary
School, which is in its second year of the
program. Olsen and Associate Principal
Jennifer Drake discussed the program
on a fall morning in Olsen’s office, sur-
rounded by nautical souvenirs and the
words “Be the Captain of Your Leader
SHIP.” “We’ve seen suspensionsfalldown.
We’ve seen office referrals fall down.
We’ve seen children working things out
when they wouldn’t talk to each other
before.”
Five Henrico County schools have
adopted an educational leadership pro-
cess called “The Leader in Me.” The
model is patterned after Covey’s book,
“The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”
The aim is to cultivate character to help
students grow, and to create a thriving
environment for learning.
“The Leader in Me” schools commit
to a five-year process. Crestview Elemen-
WHAT’S INSIDE: Spotlight on:
School Improvement | Pg. 8
Theroad
toleadership
Students across
Henrico give thanks | Pg. 7
Inspirational students, teachers and
alumni | Pg. 4
by Chris OBrion
2. school days December 2013 3
tary School is in its first year of the
program. Three other schools – Arthur
R. Ashe Jr., Dumbarton and Harvie
Elementaries – were awarded $6,000
start-up grants this fall from the Henrico
Education Foundation (HEF) to begin
the process. Holladay hopes to become
the first “Lighthouse School” in central
Virginia, a status awarded to schools that
take the program to an even higher level.
FranklinCovey, the company that
developed the program, says “The Leader
in Me” can pay big dividends, including
improved student self-confidence and
interpersonal skills, reduced discipline
problems, increased teacher engagement
and parent satisfaction, and elevated
student achievement.
While empirical studies of the pro-
gram’s effects on student achievement
are just getting started, the company has
collected evidence that schools that fully
commit to the process see a boost in test
scores.
“We’re hoping [improved scores]
will show up in the future, as we estab-
lish the culture and move to the second
phase of the process,” Olsen said. But
there are encouraging academic signs.
One of the seven habits, “Put first things
first,” emphasizes work before play. Ol-
sen said that has helped kids prioritize
homework. “Homework is a big part of
success. Also, in doing projects, students
are more aware of “beginning with an
end in mind.”
Holladay’s Drake is a believer. “This
transforms the school environment.
When you improve the school environ-
ment, you make it more conducive to
learning.”
InHenrico,awarenessoftheprogram
didn’t arise from one source, but sprouted
in various places. Drake stumbled across
“The Leader in Me” book in 2008, and
knew she wanted to incorporate the ideas
into her school. Crestview teacher Meg
Zehmer saw some information about the
program at a local preschool in 2009, and
decided to apply for a HEF grant to create
a 2011 pilot program for her kindergar-
ten class. Olsen was principal at Pember-
ton Elementary School in 2010 when she
took a tour of A.B. Combs Leadership
Magnet School in Raleigh, N.C., the first
school in the U.S. to implement the pro-
gram. When Olsen moved to Holladay,
she and Drake were raring to go.
“It’s funny how things work out,”
said Drake. “Before Kim had even
officially started at Holladay, I told
her, ‘We have this grant all ready
for a new leadership program.
Can you sign it?’”
Zehmer found that the ideas
make perfect sense to even the
youngest students. “We introduce
a different habit each month.
We have a poster that says, ‘How
many habits have you used today?’
We have a mirror that says, ‘I can see the
leader in me.” If someone is having a bad
day, I say, ‘Go over and tell me what you
see.’”
“This afternoon our classroom was
a mess, as kindergarten classrooms get,”
Zehmer said. “I turned off the lights and
said, ‘I really need you all to synergize.’
They know exactly what that means. I
got out a timer, and in eight minutes,
that classroom looked better than be-
fore it got messy … I think it all begins
with the concepts, the setting and how
it’s presented. Little kids are so smart
and sometimes we dumb things down
for them and we don’t need to. They just
get it.”
So how does the process work? Once
a school has committed, they work with
FranklinCovey and The Leader In Me
Foundation to secure a grant. Franklin-
Covey provides the school with exten-
sive staff training and materials. The
staff reads and discusses “The 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People.” Teachers
learn how to integrate the ideas into the
curriculum. Each class creates and com-
mits to a guiding mission statement,
and students, faculty and staff members
record their goals, plans and victories
– sometimes publicly. Schools come up
with their own ideas and materials, and
there’s plenty of sharing via an active on-
line community. Each year culminates
with a Leadership Day, where the school
celebrates its successes with tours and
songs, and invites parents and commu-
nity partners to the school to show them
what they’ve learned.
While “The Leader in Me” devel-
ops student leadership skills, the model
depends on buy-in from the entire
school. “This is something people need
to breathe, otherwise it becomes empty
words.” Olsen said. “It has to have buy-
in. To do that, everyone needs to have
a voice. There was ample time for those
on the fence to have their questions an-
swered.”
“Teachers don’t want one more
thing on their plate.” Drake added, “But
you start this and people say, ‘what can I
do to help?’”
Zehmer said she has gotten as much
from the process as her students. “It’s
been, professionally and personally one
of the most inspiring and rewarding en-
deavors I have ever been engaged in.”
One key to success is the common
language based on Covey’s seven habits,
which helps reinforce culture and com-
mitment. Olsen said, “I get calls from
parents saying, ‘I heard my children say,
‘We need to clean up our toys before we
play, because we need to put first things
first.’ I get calls saying, ‘I was in the mini-
van the other day after a soccer game
and my child said, ‘Well, we lost the
game, but we learned. That’s a win-win.’’
yLEADER IN ME
It’s positive peer pressure.”
Holladay fifth grader Chrissy Haw-
ley said that the language makes people
curious. “I talk about the seven habits
all the time at home,” she said, stand-
ing in a hallway near a green “Proactive
Parkway” street sign. “My sister goes to
Moody [Middle School], and she asked
me what I was talking about. I told her
and now she uses the seven habits all the
time.”
School commitment is also a must
because the program is not cheap:
schools commit to spending $6,000 per
year for five years for the extensive staff
training, consultation, materials and
online resources. A representative from
FranklinCovey is assigned to each school
and takes an active role in implementing
the program.
Those costs can be defrayed by
help from corporate and community
partners, and from some government
programs. For example, at Holladay El-
ementary, support has come from HEF,
the I Am A Leader Foundation, federal
Title 1 funds, the Holladay PTA, con-
tracting firm ColonialWebb, and food
company Wholly Guacamole, which
gave the school $10,000 to kickstart the
program. At Crestview, the program is
supported by HEF, The I Am a Leader
Foundation, the PTA, Walmart Corpo-
ration, as well as Randolph Reynolds
Sr., Randolph Reynolds Jr. and Margaret
Bowen.
“Educators in schools become so
convinced that this can have such an im-
pact on students, teachers and schools
that they don’t hesitate to go out and
ask for corporate help. And the model is
widely used in the business world, so it’s
a natural,” HEF Program Manager Paula
Roop said.
“The process teaches essential lead-
ership and life skills,” Zehmer said,
“which is exactly what parents and busi-
ness leaders are demanding.”
Holladay students Samiyah Banks, Salma Mohamed, Cayla Randolph and Chrissy Hawley
say the leadership principles are contagious.
The Seven “Leader in Me” Habits
1. Be proactive (You’re in charge)
2. Begin with the end in mind
(Have a plan)
3. Put first things first (Work first,
then play)
4. Think win-win (Everyone can
win)
5. Seek first to understand, then
to be understood (Listen before
you talk)
6. Synergize (Together is better)
7. Sharpen the saw (Balance
feels best)
Source: FranklinCovey Education
Media Specialist Debbie Teague assists stu-
dents in the library beneath a quote from
“The Leader in Me” author Stephen Covey.
Setting goals is a key part of the leadership process.
![school days December 2013 3
tary School is in its first year of the
program. Three other schools – Arthur
R. Ashe Jr., Dumbarton and Harvie
Elementaries – were awarded $6,000
start-up grants this fall from the Henrico
Education Foundation (HEF) to begin
the process. Holladay hopes to become
the first “Lighthouse School” in central
Virginia, a status awarded to schools that
take the program to an even higher level.
FranklinCovey, the company that
developed the program, says “The Leader
in Me” can pay big dividends, including
improved student self-confidence and
interpersonal skills, reduced discipline
problems, increased teacher engagement
and parent satisfaction, and elevated
student achievement.
While empirical studies of the pro-
gram’s effects on student achievement
are just getting started, the company has
collected evidence that schools that fully
commit to the process see a boost in test
scores.
“We’re hoping [improved scores]
will show up in the future, as we estab-
lish the culture and move to the second
phase of the process,” Olsen said. But
there are encouraging academic signs.
One of the seven habits, “Put first things
first,” emphasizes work before play. Ol-
sen said that has helped kids prioritize
homework. “Homework is a big part of
success. Also, in doing projects, students
are more aware of “beginning with an
end in mind.”
Holladay’s Drake is a believer. “This
transforms the school environment.
When you improve the school environ-
ment, you make it more conducive to
learning.”
InHenrico,awarenessoftheprogram
didn’t arise from one source, but sprouted
in various places. Drake stumbled across
“The Leader in Me” book in 2008, and
knew she wanted to incorporate the ideas
into her school. Crestview teacher Meg
Zehmer saw some information about the
program at a local preschool in 2009, and
decided to apply for a HEF grant to create
a 2011 pilot program for her kindergar-
ten class. Olsen was principal at Pember-
ton Elementary School in 2010 when she
took a tour of A.B. Combs Leadership
Magnet School in Raleigh, N.C., the first
school in the U.S. to implement the pro-
gram. When Olsen moved to Holladay,
she and Drake were raring to go.
“It’s funny how things work out,”
said Drake. “Before Kim had even
officially started at Holladay, I told
her, ‘We have this grant all ready
for a new leadership program.
Can you sign it?’”
Zehmer found that the ideas
make perfect sense to even the
youngest students. “We introduce
a different habit each month.
We have a poster that says, ‘How
many habits have you used today?’
We have a mirror that says, ‘I can see the
leader in me.” If someone is having a bad
day, I say, ‘Go over and tell me what you
see.’”
“This afternoon our classroom was
a mess, as kindergarten classrooms get,”
Zehmer said. “I turned off the lights and
said, ‘I really need you all to synergize.’
They know exactly what that means. I
got out a timer, and in eight minutes,
that classroom looked better than be-
fore it got messy … I think it all begins
with the concepts, the setting and how
it’s presented. Little kids are so smart
and sometimes we dumb things down
for them and we don’t need to. They just
get it.”
So how does the process work? Once
a school has committed, they work with
FranklinCovey and The Leader In Me
Foundation to secure a grant. Franklin-
Covey provides the school with exten-
sive staff training and materials. The
staff reads and discusses “The 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People.” Teachers
learn how to integrate the ideas into the
curriculum. Each class creates and com-
mits to a guiding mission statement,
and students, faculty and staff members
record their goals, plans and victories
– sometimes publicly. Schools come up
with their own ideas and materials, and
there’s plenty of sharing via an active on-
line community. Each year culminates
with a Leadership Day, where the school
celebrates its successes with tours and
songs, and invites parents and commu-
nity partners to the school to show them
what they’ve learned.
While “The Leader in Me” devel-
ops student leadership skills, the model
depends on buy-in from the entire
school. “This is something people need
to breathe, otherwise it becomes empty
words.” Olsen said. “It has to have buy-
in. To do that, everyone needs to have
a voice. There was ample time for those
on the fence to have their questions an-
swered.”
“Teachers don’t want one more
thing on their plate.” Drake added, “But
you start this and people say, ‘what can I
do to help?’”
Zehmer said she has gotten as much
from the process as her students. “It’s
been, professionally and personally one
of the most inspiring and rewarding en-
deavors I have ever been engaged in.”
One key to success is the common
language based on Covey’s seven habits,
which helps reinforce culture and com-
mitment. Olsen said, “I get calls from
parents saying, ‘I heard my children say,
‘We need to clean up our toys before we
play, because we need to put first things
first.’ I get calls saying, ‘I was in the mini-
van the other day after a soccer game
and my child said, ‘Well, we lost the
game, but we learned. That’s a win-win.’’
yLEADER IN ME
It’s positive peer pressure.”
Holladay fifth grader Chrissy Haw-
ley said that the language makes people
curious. “I talk about the seven habits
all the time at home,” she said, stand-
ing in a hallway near a green “Proactive
Parkway” street sign. “My sister goes to
Moody [Middle School], and she asked
me what I was talking about. I told her
and now she uses the seven habits all the
time.”
School commitment is also a must
because the program is not cheap:
schools commit to spending $6,000 per
year for five years for the extensive staff
training, consultation, materials and
online resources. A representative from
FranklinCovey is assigned to each school
and takes an active role in implementing
the program.
Those costs can be defrayed by
help from corporate and community
partners, and from some government
programs. For example, at Holladay El-
ementary, support has come from HEF,
the I Am A Leader Foundation, federal
Title 1 funds, the Holladay PTA, con-
tracting firm ColonialWebb, and food
company Wholly Guacamole, which
gave the school $10,000 to kickstart the
program. At Crestview, the program is
supported by HEF, The I Am a Leader
Foundation, the PTA, Walmart Corpo-
ration, as well as Randolph Reynolds
Sr., Randolph Reynolds Jr. and Margaret
Bowen.
“Educators in schools become so
convinced that this can have such an im-
pact on students, teachers and schools
that they don’t hesitate to go out and
ask for corporate help. And the model is
widely used in the business world, so it’s
a natural,” HEF Program Manager Paula
Roop said.
“The process teaches essential lead-
ership and life skills,” Zehmer said,
“which is exactly what parents and busi-
ness leaders are demanding.”
Holladay students Samiyah Banks, Salma Mohamed, Cayla Randolph and Chrissy Hawley
say the leadership principles are contagious.
The Seven “Leader in Me” Habits
1. Be proactive (You’re in charge)
2. Begin with the end in mind
(Have a plan)
3. Put first things first (Work first,
then play)
4. Think win-win (Everyone can
win)
5. Seek first to understand, then
to be understood (Listen before
you talk)
6. Synergize (Together is better)
7. Sharpen the saw (Balance
feels best)
Source: FranklinCovey Education
Media Specialist Debbie Teague assists stu-
dents in the library beneath a quote from
“The Leader in Me” author Stephen Covey.
Setting goals is a key part of the leadership process.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)