October 8, 2014
As I drove up to school this past Sunday afternoon, I was surprised to see a number of cars in the parking lot. I was looking forward to some quiet time in my office to get caught up on a few projects and wondered what would bring so many students up to school on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. My question was soon answered as I encountered a group of 15 upper school students leaving the building as I entered. “We were here for peer leadership training, Dr. Hudson” one of the students replied with a smile when I asked why they were at school. Several of them went on to describe their afternoon with great enthusiasm and excitement.
Under the guidance of KaTrina Wentzel and Maggie Harris (leadership instructor at the University of Minnesota), peer leaders have been learning about the principles of servant leadership and how it guides their leadership at MPA. In particular, peer leaders are working across divisions and their service includes teaching grades 7 and 8 advisory group lessons, holding regular weekly conversations with our international students and working with our fourth grade conflict mangers. They are also engaged in project-based learning and design thinking to improve and revise our schoolwide pairing assemblies.
Critical and creative thinking, ethical reasoning and action, inquiry and analysis are among the most important learning outcomes of MPA and are foundational to the peer leadership program. Peer leaders left school last Sunday with more than smiles. They left with skills, knowledge, and aptitudes essential to better understand themselves, build relationships and effect positive change-locally and globally.
