Program rewards hard work, personal growth and positive influence
Student leaders from Mary Street Public School have received well-deserved recognition for their good deeds and leadership shown not only while at school, but also during Distance Learning.
The Leadership Program starts at the beginning of the school year and finishes up in May. There are three phases: School Jobs, Leadership Camp and the Leadership Hoodie Program. The first phase involves students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 applying for jobs around the school. This could be the front desk assistant, birthday greeter, or even being a member of the clean-up crew. The students are then interviewed for the job. In phase two the students attend a two-day Leadership Camp where they explore personal leadership growth and are given group responsibilities. The final phase is the Leadership Hoodie Program, in which the successful students’ names are put into a draw that is done twice monthly between January and May.
Justin Abdelkerim, Principal at Mary Street PS says, “If the student’s name is pulled, it’s checked to see if they meet the following specific criteria: 1) has a student job and does it well 2) shows personal growth socially, behaviourally or academically and 3) positively influences others.”
The community is involved in this positive initiative as well. Whitby Mazda donates $50 to purchase each of the hoodies and Steve’s Leather Fashions in Oshawa customizes each hoodie with the name of each student printed on it.
The program has helped students to think about how they could help others and has been a rewarding experience for them. Grade 3 student and winner Malik said, “I thought one day someone looked upset at recess. They said they ‘had no one to play with and had no friends,’ so then I played with them.” Grade 4 student Teja added, “It just changes you, it settles you to be a better version of yourself.”
At the end of the day, the team at Mary Street PS community are helping students to be successful at school and in everyday life. “When I see kids intentionally stepping up and being more than they thought they could be – it’s an amazing feeling,” Abdelkerim says. “We as educators are trying do what we are meant to do – to get our kids to develop their potential. The reward in seeing that growth in kids is immeasurable.”
SOURCE: DDSB
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