— by Lin McNulty —
Yes, “Pink Kittens Have Red Socks for Halloween Costumes” is the key to leadership. Well, okay, so it’s an acronym for the qualities of a good leader: Patience, Kindness, Honesty, Respect, Selflessness, Forgiveness, Humility, Commitment.
This last summer, in mid-July, five Orcas High School students, along with teacher Mike Buckner, attended a week-long Leadership Camp at the Cispus Learning Center near Mount St. Helens along with 300 other students, broken down into squads of 15, from across the state. Along with learning leadership qualities, students participated in problem solving, team-building exercises and games.
From the success of the camp and the excitement it generated among the attendees, Middle/High School Principal Kyle Freeman consulted with Algebra and Business Math teacher, Associatedd Student Body (ASB) Advisor, and Jr. Class Advisor Mike Buckner to develop an ongoing Leadership Class at OHS.
The sponsor of the camp was the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) who also provided the curriculum for the new OHS course.
Students for the new class were chosen from the Student Body Executive Officers, Class Officers, and Club Officers. The prime directive for the students, as they learn leadership skills, is to plan and host ASB events and assemblies, such as the recent Welcome to School/Spirit Assembly, Homecoming, Graduation, and the end of school Celebration of Success.
One of our goals,” says Buckner, “is to have a waiting list for students who want to take the class.”
The Orcas Island High School ASB is also inviting all members of the Orcas Island community to show their Viking Pride by ordering a Viking Pride T-Shirt. They hope to follow this with more Viking Pride clothing during the school year. These shirts will be delivered before homecoming so order now to support the activities of the Orcas ASB and make their events possible.
