Hayes Leonard Implements Team LEAD

valpo-community-schoolsWritten by Bill Eichelberg, Principal

Hayes Leonard Elementary has implemented a bystander leadership program called Team LEAD.

Traci Coil, a second-grade teacher, coordinates this program and provides all the training for the fourth- and fifth-grade students that are serving as student leaders. Team LEAD was created by Denise Koebcke, a teacher for Valparaiso Community Schools. After spending seemingly endless hours counseling crying girls and sullen boys frustrated with the rampant relational aggression they faced on a daily basis, she recognized that the social climate among kids was, without a doubt, having a negative impact on their academic success. The day one of her students looked at her and literally begged for her to do something she realized that the student had just issued a challenge she felt obligated to accept. So, she began development of her bystander leadership program.

The Team LEAD bystander leadership program at Hayes Leonard is based on student empowerment and broad-based education of the staff and students. A key component of the program involves student bystander leadership groups that meet during the lunch period twice a month. Team LEAD promotes Leadership, Empathy, Accountability, and open Discussion. Team LEAD builds student resilience in the face of inevitable adversity through a focus on positive action and purpose.

The majority of bullying occurs in the presence of other students; rarely are teachers present, and rarely do they even find out what has happened. When students have ownership of the program, it means more to them, they take it more seriously, and it empowers them to be more positive leaders. If bystanders ignore the bullying, the bullying simply continues. However, there is a significant correlation between the tendency to intervene and expectations of friends. Those who felt that their friends expected them to step in and support a target were more likely to do so.

The "Key Points" to our Team LEAD bystander leadership program are:

  1. The value of the program revolves around the weekly or biweekly discussion forum and in keeping the kids talking about brainstorming strategies that they can comfortably attempt.
  2. It's vital for student leaders to come up with their own strategies that can realistically work for them.
  3. As sponsors, the first priority needs to be the student leaders' safety.
  4. Adult support, follow-through and encouragement in the building is vital.
  5. Maintain a heavy focus on solutions and positive leadership skills rather than dwelling on negative behaviors.
  6. Remember that even student leaders make mistakes. The goal is growth!

Students are excited about this program and its positive outcomes. In addition, the newest research study by Stan Davis and Charisse Nixon reports that mistreated youth say they benefited most from listening and support by peers. Building resilience, peer and adult support, positive leadership skills and encouraging connections for all students is the foundation for Hayes Leonard's Team Lead program.