Teen leadership course teaches kindness, leadership, social skills to RHS freshmen
At Russellville City Schools, administrators and faculty understand how important it is to teach the whole student, which includes focusing on lessons that will help develop their character, leadership, communication and social skills. At Russellville High School, these lessons are now being taught during a class devoted solely to helping students with these skills they will need far beyond the walls of RHS.
RHS Principal Jason Goodwin said the first group of students have completed the inaugural Teen Leadership class, which is a semester-long course for freshmen that focuses on everything from leadership, budgetary and business skills to fostering healthy relationships, self-image and personal responsibility in the age of social media.
“After input from over a thousand stakeholders in our strategic planning process, the top priority identified by our community was ‘building character and responsibility,’” Goodwin said. “The Teen Leadership course meets these needs in a dynamic format. Through a scholarship provided to me by Rob Kirk with the Flippen Group, I was given the opportunity to attend the actual teacher training and review this course to ensure it was the correct choice for Russellville. The training verified the Teen Leadership course was the perfect fit, and we just had to find the right people to implement it.”
Goodwin said the boys and girls head basketball coaches, Patrick Odom and Corey Thomaston, were selected to teach the course because of their experience in teaching character development and leadership skills through athletics.
“The instructor selection was the most crucial component to the success of this program,” Goodwin said. “The curriculum for Teen Leadership is absolutely amazing, but more important than the curriculum is the modeling and delivery of it to students … I knew there would be no better teachers for this course than our boys and girls head basketball coaches. Both men have the characteristics I would want in a teacher of this course if my own children were taking it – a strong character, high moral values, motivating personality, optimism and high expectations for all students.
“Both coaches were extremely excited for the opportunity to teach in the classroom setting again, especially a course of this magnitude.”
Goodwin said Odom and Thomaston attended the Capturing Kids Hearts training seminar in Texas this summer to prepare for teaching the course.
“This class is very student-led, and the method for getting students to take initiative and hold each other accountable was the key ingredient for the training,” Odom said. “The training also provides guidance on how to be intentional about building relationships with the students and empowering them to take ownership of the class and really get involved.”
Approximately 90 students took the course the first semester, and Odom said the response was positive.
“I was very pleased with how the students received the class,” Odom said. “They became very open, and I feel they grew as individuals but also developed relationships with classmates that they might have never attempted if it had not been for the nature of the class.”
Thomaston said the benefits of the course are numerous, and it could have a great impact on the students’ lives.
“I strongly believe the information taught in this course is more essential than any subject on campus,” he said. “Learning how to respect, serve selflessly and value others’ opinions are some of the key aspects we cover. Public speaking and determining their own path are covered at length as well.”
Freshman Callie Palmer was in the first group of students to complete the course and said it has already enhanced her first year of high school and has given her more confidence.
“When freshmen come to high school, it can be a very scary and intimidating environment,” she said. “There are so many ‘what ifs’ – ‘What if I’m not accepted?’ ‘What if people don’t listen to anything I have to say?’ ‘What if people look down on me?’ ‘What if I don’t fit in?’ Teen Leadership has really been an eye opener for me and others, and it has showed me you don’t have to be in the ‘popular crowd’ and to not let others’ opinions of you bring you down.”
RCS Superintendent Heath Grimes said he is encouraged by what he has seen so far from the Teen Leadership course and is excited for what it will mean for the overall school environment.
“We want to create a culture at RCS that is built on kindness, reaching out to others, connecting with others, learning how to positively interact with others, and how a strong character is just as important as good grades or athletic or performance-based talent,” Grimes said. “I have no doubt this will help our high school students better prepare for their futures and to be better citizens overall.”