Elisabeth Slay
Editorial Assistant
Northeast News

Students and teachers at Scuola Vita Nuova Charter School presented to members of the community at their first Leadership Day on June 1.
According to Assistant Principal Jessica DiGiovanni, the purpose of the day was to celebrate leadership in children and allow students to share their voice.
“This year we became a Leader In Me school, which is a program teaching kids certain habits and how to become a leader,” DiGiovanni said. “I believe every kid is a leader in their own way, so we try to find that.”

The Leader In Me program is based on Franklin Covey’s 7 Habits of Leadership theory, but applied to students in a learning environment. The seven habits are 1) be proactive; 2) begin with the end in mind; 3) put first things first; 4) think win-win; 5) seek first to understand then to be understood; 6) synergize; and 7) sharpen the saw.

While Leadership Day gave each student a chance to be a leader for the day, SVN also applied the 7 Habits to their daily routine throughout the school year.
“We’ve been teaching the habits all year long and then putting kids into leadership roles and helping them start to have a voice in the school,” DiGiovanni said. “So it’s no longer adults telling them what’s happening; it’s as a team.”

Guests were educated about each of the habits to learn more about leadership in education. Students acted as tour leaders, presenters, and master of ceremonies during the June 1 event.

“Parents and guests arrived this morning and had a presentation from students and the band and our musicians,” DiGiovanni said. “Then they broke into groups and they went to different stations and at each station they learned about a habit.”

The day ended with a luncheon for parents and other members of the community to celebrate Leadership Day.