Mitchell Elementary earns honor

At the end of the last school year, Andrew J. Mitchell Elementary School earned something very few can say they have. And this past Friday, they finally got to celebrate the achievement.

Mitchell earned recognition as a Legacy Leader in Me Lighthouse school. According to Principal Tracy Echeverria, fewer than 5% of the Leader in Me schools in the world have earned this recognition.

They celebrated with the hanging of a banner with this new distinction and did so in front of the school’s entire student body and staff as well as students from King Elementary, and invited school district and community guests.

On hand Friday to celebrate this distinction was Muriel Summers. She served as principal of A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, N.C. for two decades. Under her watch, they became the original Leader in Me school, with Summers as co-author of a book by the same name. Currently, there are thousands of K-12 schools in over 70 countries that replicate the transformative leadership model that Summers and her staff initiated.

“I’m going to tell you just how special you are and this award is,” she told the crowd. “There are around 8,000 schools around the world that are doing what you’re doing here and that’s recognizing that our students are so much more than a score on a piece of paper.

“They are our future and are our leaders. With that comes probably the most important work we as educators can do. And that is to not just prepare our students for what they do in school but more importantly, prepare them for life after school.”

Summers added that there are just 46 schools in the world that have received the Legacy distinction.

According to their website, “Founded on the belief that everyone has the potential to lead, Leader in Me is a comprehensive PK-12 framework that nurtures student leadership, fosters a culture of trust, and boosts academic success. This proven approach empowers students, educators, and families with essential leadership and life skills, preparing them to excel.”

Under the Leader in Me program, in order for a school to obtain the Lighthouse School Designation, it must meet nine criteria. Three of those include:

■ 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.

“A school will maintain its Lighthouse Certification for two years and will continue to foster its growth and proficiency in exemplifying a leadership culture and principles,” the website states. “At the end of the two years the school will re-certify its Lighthouse status through a virtual self-assessment, describing and celebrating its growth and accomplishments since its original Lighthouse designation.”

A Lighthouse school must then meet the following in order to receive the even-more-difficult Legacy status:

■ Lighthouse School certification has been maintained for a minimum of eight years.

■ The school exhibits innovation and sustained growth to sustaining levels in the majority of Lighthouse criteria.

■ The school has made and continues to make a distinctive contribution to the Leader in Me community and/or the education community at large.

Following the morning’s festivities, Mitchell Principal Tracy Echeverria shared her excitement about being named a Legacy school.

“Building upon a journey that began many years ago and continues today, Mitchell Elementary’s recognition as a Leader in Me Lighthouse Legacy School reflects an enduring commitment to growing students who are empowered to be the best they can be,” she said. “Our school fosters leadership opportunities for students so they can become leaders of themselves and in their community. It is a privilege to work with so many committed and talented people who help Mitchell Elementary become a better version of itself each year.”

Also in attendance and recognized Friday was Ben Day, the former longtime principal of Mitchell Elementary. The Leader in Me program began under his watch, so for it to reach these new heights is something he said he’s very proud of.

“Seeing all of the accolades that Mitchell has received since starting the Leader in Me process has definitely been fun and exciting, but more importantly, knowing why they have received the accolades is what really matters, and that’s what I am most proud of,” he told the Review.

“When students leave Mitchell, they know how to lead their own lives and how to work effectively with others, and these are the skills and habits that they will use throughout their entire lives.”

Day added that when they started fully implementing the Leader in Me process in 2011, he knew Mitchell could do something special as a school and praised Echeverria and the staff for this accomplishment.

“I can honestly say that I never expected that we would ultimately be recognized as one of the best Leader in Me schools in the world,” he said. “I truly believe in my core that we could change the world if every school implemented the Leader in Me with determination and fidelity like the staff at Mitchell has.”