This school year will mark the first time the Student Leadership course is offered as an elective. Backed by teachers who need help with errands and students who want school to be lively and rewarding, the Student Leaders are responsible for coordinating activities – like the end-of-the-year carnival – hosting fundraisers, organizing Flight Cards, issuing teacher appreciation gifts, recognizing outstanding students, and more. It all started in 2012 when one idea sparked a change.

Azeezat Adeleke was a star student of Ms. Griffin’s, the current teacher for Student Leadership. Azeezat believed that students should be given more for their academic achievement. Once enough teachers and students were gathered, she helped form the Academic Eagles club. They saw that they were doing great things by increasing school spirit and encouraging success, so Ms. Griffin wrote up a proposal to the county to create the Student Leadership class. Its current members, one sophomore, seven juniors, and three seniors, were chosen after filling out an application and getting teacher recommendations. Ms. Griffin can already tell they have the potential to become influential leaders both in school and out. She’s, “very excited about the class and [is] hoping to keep all of [the] initiatives and activities [they] did last year.” Along with Ms. Griffin, the members are eagerly looking forward to the year ahead. When asked about the class, Catherina Arter (’18) said, “Student Leadership is the one class that I go into with a positive attitude every day because the work stops feeling like piles of paper and notes and becomes a place where our ideas are heard and taken seriously within our school.”

Although the Student Leadership course just began, the members are already discussing new plans. They not only focus on learning how to lead others to a common goal, but they get to know each other and share their opinions on various topics regarding school. Like Elizabeth Varela (’17) said, “Academic Eagles isn’t just a club where we get to praise academics. We get to have our ideas heard within the school and we have fun with it.” By joining this class, students learn that their voice matters and by speaking up, they can make a difference.