Leadership

It’s important to learn the art of leadership, which includes thinking strategically, building consensus, being inclusive, and showing poise and confidence.

 

We begin planting the seeds for leadership in the earliest years, by giving students in our Primary and Lower School divisions numerous opportunities to practice leadership skills. They work collaboratively in small groups—such as when first graders research different penguins species and create presentations for their classmates. They lead their peers—such as when the sixth graders coordinate discussion groups for the third, fourth, and fifth graders as part of the Lower School’s “One School, One Book” study. And they practice speaking in front of classmates and teachers in structured, supportive settings, in all-school meetings and as part of the public speaking program that begins in grade three.

 

As the oldest students at Fay, our seventh, eighth, and ninth graders become the leaders of our school, among their peers as well as for the younger students in the Primary and Lower School. As role models in the classroom, on the playing field, in the dorms, and as part of our schoolwide Color Competition, students learn how to rally their peers, lead a team, and see a project through to completion.

 

Our Kindergarten-ninth grade structure enables our middle school-aged students to take on leadership roles that would normally fall to upperclassmen in a 7-12 or 9-12 school setting. Our students learn leadership by actually leading—and by the time they graduate, they’re equipped with an invaluable life skill that will serve them well in secondary school and beyond.

- Team captains

- Representatives at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference at PoCC (annual People of Color Conference)

- Primary and Lower School helpers

- Discussion leaders for Community Connections (a group that addresses issues of diversity and inclusion at Fay and in the greater community)
- Yearbook staff

- Green Squad (recycling)