December 7, 2023

The Clarke County School District announces that Barnett Shoals Elementary School has been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by Franklin Covey Education. Leader in Me is an evidence-based PK-12 model designed to prepare students with college-, career-, and life-readiness skills. Students learn to become self-aware and interdependent, take initiative, plan ahead, set and track goals, do their homework, prioritize their time, be considerate of others, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, find creative solutions, value differences, live a balanced life, and contribute positively to society. Barnett Shoals Elementary implemented Leader in Me during the 2020-21 school year.

“We are honored to have been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School,” said Barnett Shoals principal Aliceson Nobles. “We have seen amazing results from implementing the Leader in Me model at our school. In classrooms, teachers embrace the Leader in Me philosophy, fostering a growth mindset that encourages scholars to set personal and academic goals. The emphasis on leadership roles within the classroom empowers scholars to take ownership of their learning journey. It is heartwarming to witness young bear (the school’s mascot) scholars stepping up as leaders, whether as peer mentors, school ambassadors, or even just lending a helping hand to a classmate in need. This model has had a significant impact on all of our scholars. And we expect to see greater results over time.”

Leader in Me Schools that receive Lighthouse certification have experienced significant measurable results, aligned to their goals, through implementation of the principles and practices in the model. Schools typically apply for the certification three to five years after they begin the model. Since the official launch of the model, over 700 of the more than 7,000 schools that have implemented it have achieved Lighthouse certification.

Schools use the Lighthouse Rubric to measure outcomes in three areas: teaching leadership principles, creating a leadership culture, and aligning academic systems. Schools also measure their success as it relates to their unique school. Lighthouse certification is earned by schools that demonstrate the following:

• The principal, school administration, and staff engage in ongoing learning and develop as leaders while championing leadership for the school.
• Leadership principles are effectively taught to all students through direct lessons, integrated approaches, and staff modeling. Students are able to think critically about, and apply, leadership principles.
• Families and the school partner together in learning about The 7 Habits and leadership principles through effective communication and mutual respect.
• The school community is able to see leadership in the physical environment, hear leadership through a common language, and feel leadership through a culture of caring, relationships, and affirmation.
• Leadership is shared with students through a variety of leadership roles. Student voice leads to innovations within the school.
• Schoolwide, classroom, family, and community leadership events provide authentic environments to celebrate leadership, build culture, and allow students to practice leadership skills.
• The school utilizes the 4DX® process (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) to identify and track progress toward Wildly Important Goals® (WIGs) for the school, classroom, and staff.
• Students lead their own learning with the skills to assess their needs, set appropriate goals, and carry out action plans. They track progress toward goals in Leadership Notebooks and share these notebooks with adults in Student-Led Conferences.
• Teacher planning and reflection, trusting relationships, and student-led learning combine to create environments for highly engaged learning.

Barnett Shoals Elementary will maintain its Lighthouse Certification for two years and will continue to foster its growth and proficiency in exemplifying a leadership culture and principles. At the end of the two years, the school will recertify its Lighthouse Certification through a virtual self-assessment, describing and celebrating its growth and accomplishments since its original Lighthouse designation.