CCISD elementary students gain leadership skills
Special to Leader-Press
It is never too young to be a leader. That was the message instilled in four Copperas Cove elementary school student councils that participated in training for student council officers and their adult advisers.
The Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association provided the workshop to Cove schools as well as Killeen ISD, Midway, Pflugerville and Clifton elementary schools. TEPSA Director of Student Leadership Carolyn Solomon discussed what traits leaders like 5th grader Bailey Ness at Williams/Ledger Elementary School should and should not possess.
"I learned that being leader doesn't mean you have to know everyone,” she said. “It means you have to work hard, be nice and kind at everyone at your school."
Students learned ways to help their school through various service projects and different teamwork techniques. The workshop also consisted of the purpose of student council and the benefits of being a student council member. Singing silly leadership songs, making up their own song for their group and watching a gong show were just a few of the learning tools used to instruct the young leaders like Ally Becker, a 5th grader from Williams/Ledger.
"We learned some silly songs to start each meeting with and we had to make one as a teamwork project,” she said. “So overall, we learned how to be a team."
Williams/Ledger Student Council Adviser Miranda Cardenas said the students will take their new knowledge and implement in their local chapters.
“(The workshop) taught the students how become better leaders in and out of the classroom,” she said. “Their mission is take what they have learned and spread it among other students in and around their school.”
Hettie Halstead Elementary’s Josiah Gittens is ready to put what he learned into practice.
"This will help me be a leader in the future,” the 4th grader said.
The students were given a chance to create an idea for hopefully the next year's chosen student council song for the entire state. Every student council across Texas is given the opportunity to create a catchy song about student council. The students who attended the training are already brainstorming about what they hope will be the winning song next year.
"There were a lot of fun activities, we got to meet new people, and have an awesome lunch, but my favorite part was singing silly songs," Seth Norton, a 5th grader at Hettie Halstead, said.