Barnett Shoals Elementary School launched a vision of leadership for our bear family during the 2020-21 school year, when we officially became a Leader in Me school.  

Leader in Me is a whole-school transformation model that improves the performance of all school programs. As a Leader in Me school, students, families, and staff learn how to be responsible, show initiative, be creative, set goals and meet them, get along with people of various backgrounds and cultures, resolve conflicts, and solve problems. Students and staff learn to use a common language and build an understanding of how to work effectively, independently, and interdependently, in all aspects of life, not just at school.

Dr. Covey, the author of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, defines leadership as “communicating a person’s worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.”  

As a Leader in Me school, everyone learns how to apply the 7 Habits to their personal and academic/professional lives. We also apply our leadership skills more deeply to academics through goal setting, data tracking, and student-led conferences. Together, we recognize and celebrate the greatness of each child and provide scholars with multiple opportunities to develop their full potential. 

Barnett Shoals Elementary is the first school in the Athens area to be recognized as a Leader in Me School! We have recently received our Lighthouse Certification. Lighthouse Certification means that we have implemented the Leader in Me at a high standard with strong outcomes in teaching leadership principles, creating a leadership culture, and aligning academic systems. Leader in Me Lighthouse Schools serve as exemplars to their community and other schools.  

Leadership is not for a few but for everyone. Leadership is not a position. It is action - the actions we take every day. Let’s be leaders together and inspire change in our communities. Our hope is that each of you will join us on this journey of greatness!

For more information, visit the Leader in Me website. Ongoing empirical research continually reveals evidence of the significant impact of the Leader in Me. See research highlights here.