By Natasha Adams, Superintendent

Schools today are responsible for more than just teaching basic academic principles. The world we live in has required us to evolve and take a more holistic approach to setting our students up for success. 

We are doing this at West Clermont Schools by working toward becoming a Franklin Covey Leader in Me district. Leader in Me is a world-renowned leadership framework designed for grades PK-12. It is founded on the beliefs that:

Everyone can be a leader
Everyone has genius
Change starts with me
Parents and educators partner to develop the whole child
Students should be empowered/have opportunities to lead their learning
Through practices that reinforce these beliefs, Leader in Me develops personal leadership and life skills, creates a high-trust school culture, and increases academic achievement by engaging and empowering students in their learning. 

West Clermont staff kicked off the 2024-2025 school year by learning about “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” They reflected on their leadership skills and how to model them for students. Then, to support implementation of the Leader in Me program, each school created a Lighthouse Team that will guide them as they develop leadership-based environments.  

Our Portrait of a Graduate serves as our North Star. It outlines the knowledge, skills and habits we believe our students need to lead fulfilled lives long after they graduate, and Leader in Me is one more tool in our toolbox for helping them connect to this vision. We can’t wait to see where it leads us.