BUCYRUS — Wynford Elementary announced today the school has been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by FranklinCovey Education.

Nelle Ratliff, principal of Wynford Elementary said, “We are honored to have been named a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. We have seen amazing results from implementing the Leader in Me process at our school, such as increased leadership, improved behavior, growth in academics, and a positive school culture.  This process not only has had a significant impact on students, but on our staff as well.  We expect to continue to see continued growth in all areas over time.”

The Lighthouse recognition is evidence that the school has produced outstanding results in school and student outcomes, by implementing the Leader in Me process with integrity and excellence. It is also because of the extraordinary impact the school is having on staff, students, parents, and the greater community.

The Lighthouse Certification is a highly-regarded standard set by FranklinCovey Education that is attainable by every Leader in Me school. As it is a significant benchmark, applying for this certification typically occurs three to five years after a school begins the Leader in Me process.

Sean Covey, President, FranklinCovey Education, said, “We are thrilled to recognize Wynford Elementary as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. Schools who achieve this Lighthouse Certification are great examples of a strong leadership model and process, and of what it means to be a Leader in Me school. This school has experienced transformational results by implementing the principles and practices related to Leader in Me. And, we are so pleased and honored to celebrate the success they are experiencing.”

The Lighthouse Certification has allowed students to grow as leaders in their own educational process.  Jake Stover, 6th grade student stated, “The Leader in Me has allowed me to work on the skills I am going to need as an adult.  I have learned how to comfortably speak in front of adults, interview for a job, work with younger kids, and have taken on leadership roles to make myself a better leader.”   Wynford Elementary has provided leadership opportunities which include: inviting community members to monthly leadership brunches, taking on leadership roles throughout the school, student led assemblies, Student Led Celebrations, and global fundraising with, The Shoe That Grows.

Leader in Me focuses on aspiring students to set and mainitin goals not only for their learning, but also for their personal life.  Empowering instruction allows students the opportunity to learn to take charge of their own actions and academics.  Erin Wolfe, a 5th grader explains,  “The Leader in Me has helped me take charge of my learning and allowed me to set goals and take the proper steps to reach those goals.  It’s a really exciting moment when you can look back at how hard you have worked and see all of the progress you have made.”

The Leader In Me has been a culmination and a journey for the staff and students of Wynford for the last 5 years.  It was adopted in order to give students a stronger voice in their learning and introduce them to the power of personal leadership through the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Students.  All students are involved with the process, while the Student Lighthouse Team provides guidance and growth opportunities. Tonya Kimmel, 1st grade teacher, is proud to be a liaison between the staff and students for the teams. “This is a great opportunity to foster opportunity and growth with initiatives,” states Kimmel.  “As a staff we continue to be excited and amazed at the ideas of our students and how The Leader In Me has allowed them to find their voice.”

All students in preschool – 6th grade are involved in the process at Wynford.  Finding the genius in every child has been the overall mission.  No matter the age, everyone can be a leader in some capacity.  Jordan Hartschuh, a 1st grader says, “The Leader in Me has taught me to work together in a team and to help others.  Being a leader in my school is important because when people are in need, I can help them.  I am excited our school is now a Lighthouse School.  It makes our school extra special because we can help everyone learn and grow.”

Since embarking on this leadership journey, the students have been given opportunities to help them learn practical life skills that in turn lead to positive choices.  Mrs.Ratliff reflects, “The staff at Wynford Elementary has made the commitment to model and implement the 7 Habits in order to provide a caring and nurturing learning environment for our students.  Teaching students and developing leaders is what we do!”

Since its official launch nearly a decade ago, nearly 4,000 public, private, and charter schools across 50 countries have adopted the Leader in Me process, while more than 300 schools have achieved the prestigious Lighthouse certification. It 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 the common language of the 7 Habits, and feel leadership through a culture of caring, relationships, and affirmation.
  • Leadership is shared with students through a variety of leadership roles and 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 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.

Wynford Elementary will maintain its Lighthouse Certification the next 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 Wynford Elementary will be able to recertify its Lighthouse Certification through a virtual self-assessment, describing and celebrating its growth and accomplishments since its original Lighthouse designation.

Leader in Me is a whole-school transformation model and process—developed in partnership with educators—that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st century.  Leader in Me helps students learn how to become self-reliant, take initiative, plan ahead, set and track goals, do their homework, prioritize their time, manage their emotions, be considerate of others, express their viewpoint persuasively, resolve conflicts, find creative solutions, value differences, and live a balanced life.

Leader in Me utilizes and integrates several leadership, social-emotional learning, quality, and educational models and processes from past and current thought leaders including The 4 Imperatives of Great Leaders and The 4 Disciplines of Execution. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is also a key component of the overall Leader in Me process and is a synthesis of universal, timeless principles of personal, interpersonal, and organizational effectiveness, such as responsibility, vision, integrity, teamwork, collaboration and renewal.

Leader in Me is having a significant, measurable impact on schools all over the world and in the lives of millions of students, parents, teachers, and administrators, as is evidenced by the findings resulting from initial evaluation studies conducted by third-party research organizations and leading academic institutions. To learn more about the impact the process is having, visit http://www.theleaderinme.org/what-is-the-impact/.

To learn more about the Leader in Me process, please visit http://www.theleaderinme.org/.