TRUE LEADERS Students assume leadership roles in the EMS community; they organize, plan and execute thought-provoking weekly assemblies at Morrow House.
Academically well-prepared for secondary school, EMS graduates have also developed the capacity to make good decisions and be leaders in high school and all aspects of their lives.
the debriefing and time for reflection, which is so important
Taking Charge
for students,” says Gerard Allen, one of the teachers of the
The students take the leadership skills they learn out to the
Symposium. “We want them to think about not only what
community by being responsible for planning weekly assemblies
they are doing but why they are doing it.”
at Morrow House. The first assembly conducted by the students
In class, students use a discussion protocol called Open Session, which allows them to share both concerns and celebrations and seek advice from one another in a supportive environment. They also completed a selfassessment using StrengthsFinder, a scientifically designed tool that reveals individuals’ top five strengths. Interwoven into the curriculum are lessons on managing the secondary
was a tribute to Veteran’s Day. “The students arranged every detail by themselves — they booked a speaker, created a PowerPoint presentation, selected a video, wrote a script and organized every aspect of the event,” says Laura Khutorsky, another teacher of the Symposium. “These students impressed us with a powerful and thought-provoking assembly. They truly demonstrated their leadership skills to our entire student body.”
school process, and all students are assigned interview
Students are deeply engaged in the classroom activities and have
mentors who work with them in addition to the secondary
already started thinking about how they will use these tools in
school placement team. As part of their classroom work,
secondary school. “With this class, even when we disagree or
the eighth graders also wrestle with complex moral
have different opinions about important things, we are all able
dilemmas as they seek to come to an understanding of
to participate with respect,” says Ella Toback. “Working together
the mechanics of how leaders make decisions that serve a
toward a solution to the ethical dilemmas we are asked to debate
common good.
creates a bond and adds a new aspect to school that academic classes don’t.” APPLETREE 9