The student leadership and citizenship group at Montevallo High School held their second leadership conference in the MHS library on January 9. Over 45 students met to review the ideas and initiatives they generated and implemented during the first semester, as well as brainstorm future plans.

The first conference was held last August at the beginning of the first semester. Some of the ideas generated then were a reward systems for students who demonstrated good attendance and punctuality; a student-led school spirit team; ideas for boosting school culture; ideas for helping the community; and raising the level of student ownership of their school.

Kristin Foster and representatives from the David Matthews Center for Civic Life facilitated the first meeting. Students participated in leadership-development and team-building activities in order to improve their peer-influence and lead their peers to take more ownership of their lives, school, and community. Students were also involved in a number of collaborative decision-making groups throughout the workshop, which resulted in multiple ideas for building on the programs in place at MHS, as well as initiating new efforts for continuous improvement.

“While this prominent leadership group at MHS is in its early stages, the impact that they have made within the scho ol and community has been nothing short of amazing,” said Principal Wesley Hester, who firmly believes in the program. “When student-leaders take ownership of their school and influence their peers to do the same, the results will be extraordinary. This is taking place at MHS and within the Montevallo community, and a large portion of the credit goes to the David Matthews Center for Civic Life and the programs and support they provide here at MHS, the other Montevallo schools, and at the University of Montevallo.”

“It is truly a community-wide effort and the students at MHS are helping to lead the way,” Hester continued. “This is just the beginning and we plan to grow the impact of this group and increase membership as we move forward.”