Southampton Elementary School Hosts First Leadership Day on Long Island

Leadership Day was an opportunity to witness the district’s youngest students showing all of their leadership talents and how they infuse the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Be Proactive; Begin with the End in Mind; Put First Things First; Think Win-Win; Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood; Synergize; and Sharpen the Saw)  into their daily learning.  As students at a 7 Habits school, the children have been surrounded by and reminded of these habits throughout their entire day for the entire year.  Under the direction of the school’s Lighthouse Team, the day was orchestrated to provide ample opportunities for the students to communicate how they have incorporated the habits into their learning, into their socialization, and even into their lives outside of school. 

 After receiving an itinerary, attendees assembled in the gymnasium for the Opening Ceremony and it became evident that it would be the students who would be in charge during the day.  Other than a brief introduction and welcome by Principal Cookie Richard and Assistant Principal Brian Zahn, the ceremony and the day was completely led by students.  After the Pledge of Allegiance, audience members, including Mayor Mark Epley and Assemblyman Fred Thiele, were treated to performances by the Percussion Club, the Performance Club, and the SES Strings students before watching a video giving a glimpse into everyday life in the 7 Habits school produced by Ron Esposito.

Students then led group tours throughout the building to allow visitors to enjoy classroom visits and several stations set up throughout the hallways.  At each station, students were available to speak with the visitors on various topics.  Using what they have learned about communication, students could be seen enthusiastically describing their data notebooks, sharing what they know about staying healthy, discussing their art projects, and talking about their community service projects as Gold Star Leaders with anyone who stopped by their tables and classrooms.  Eye contact and engagement with the visitors was evident even in the youngest students.  The 7 Habits regularly came into the conversations throughout the building as the students related their stories.

 The students don’t drop the 7 Habits off at the school house door each day, apparently.  The students hosted a Talent Showcase in the gymnasium to demonstrate and speak about how they carry the 7 Habits with them to Irish Step Dancing classes, instrument lessons, Native American dance lessons, karate lessons, and even while writing comic books for fun.  A panel of students, parents, and teachers then  assembled to answer questions about how the 7 Habits have affected how they learn, how they operate outside of school, and how they view the world.

 The Kindergarten students, adorned by flower crowns, joined voices with the students in the Performance Club to begin the Closing Ceremony with song.  After thanking the many people who made the day possible, the students at SES said good-bye to their visitors and the first Leadership Day came to an end.