Good leaders are found everywhere you look. Not much is needed to be a leader, and not every leader has the same plan. But every leader has one thing in common: they know how to take action when it is appropriate to do so.
At Cardinal Gibbons High School, there are many opportunities for leaders to thrive. School-wide programs like Admissions Ambassadors, GLI, FYI, and Gibbons Friends are all programs that bring out the best qualities of the best leaders.
Students like Owen Combs, Emi Schweitzer, and Maddie Plonk all have their different views of what a leader is. All of these students are involved in several different leadership programs at Cardinal Gibbons.
“I’m involved in leadership programs like GLI Green and Admissions Ambassadors,” said Combs. “One main definition for me is taking initiative to have accountability and being responsible. That is a true leader.”
This isn’t the only way to be a leader.
“Being a leader is being able to encourage people and motivate people and create a positive setting that people can feel welcomed in,” Schweitzer said
There are so many different ways to be a good leader, and only one definition isn’t accurate.
“Being a leader is being able to come into an environment and make everyone feel welcomed and comfortable,” Plonk said.
Many leaders all have their different characteristics. Gibbons encourages everyone to get involved and become a leader. The motto for GLI is “We Need Leaders!”
We are very fortunate to have teachers and educators here at Gibbons who are dedicated to helping grow students ‘ leadership skills. People like Ms. Derouin and Mrs. Gentile lead some of the biggest leadership programs at Gibbons. Ms. Derouin runs GLI with the help of Mrs. Espina (formerly known as Ms. McElroy), and Mrs. Gentile runs Admissions Ambassadors.
“When I pick leaders, I look at two things. Firstly, I look at their nomination from somebody else, because oftentimes people are less complimentary of themselves than another person is. Secondly, I look for someone who is genuinely interested in the program, and isn’t doing it just for a résumé,” Ms. Derouin said on different types of leaders.
It is not easy for Ms. Derouin to find the best leaders. It takes her many steps to find who will truly fit her program best. The way that she finds her leaders isn’t the only way that works, as Ms. Gentile has her own way of finding leaders for her program, Admissions Ambassadors.
“What I look at is a huge variety of different types of students because we are meeting a huge variety of students through the mission process,” said Ms. Gentile. “I want to have many different types of students represented to show how well-rounded Gibbons is.”
Leadership at Gibbons is diverse and includes many different students. Everyone that you talk to will tell you that the school’s leadership program is one of the best among Triangle high schools.
Despite all the offerings for leadership Gibbons offers, there are always ways to improve. Noticing where to improve and doing something to fix the problem we may have is a key factor in what makes a good leader.
One of the biggest improvements needed is to provide more opportunities and include more freshmen in leadership positions, according to Ian McGee and Schweitzer.
“I think right now, freshmen have no opportunities to join leadership positions, because they are the youngest and most energetic people on the campus, and would be able to provide a role to be able to lead in some ways better than upperclassmen can,” McGee commented.
“We could provide more opportunities for those who may not have time for a full commitment like GLI or admissions ambassadors,” Schweitzer said. “Being able to have more people learn about leadership and grow as leaders.”
Another big fix, Mr. Rogosich thinks we need at Gibbons is incorporating a parent component.
“I’m not trying to pick on parents,” said Rogosich. “But I think we’re missing a parent component. I want them to be more engaged in the mission of our school.”
One other big improvement that Mrs. Espina would like to see happen at Gibbons is learning to lead without a leadership position. Not everyone will be picked for a role like GLI or Admissions Ambassadors, but leading without a position is as important, if not more.
“You can lead from where you are, and being in GLI or being an ambassador doesn’t inherently make you a better leader. Our leaders should know that their job is not to make more followers, it’s to make more leaders.”
Improvements are always necessary to keep a successful business thriving. The same is true for our leadership programs at Gibbons. With the educators who give their time to set the path, hundreds of students at Gibbons can learn how to become leaders and grow to become great ones.
“Here at Gibbons, we want every kid to feel like they had an opportunity to lead from where they were before they leave Gibbons,” said Espina.
Leadership is an important part of shaping our community at Gibbons, and as a core value of our school, striving to always be the best leaders possible is essential.
