Students exhorted to discover leadership roles this summer

Editor’s Note: Student Union is written by students at Hampden Academy, Brewer High School, John Bapst Memorial High School, Old Town High School, MDI High School, Ashland Community High School and Schenck High School in East Millinocket. The weekly column is a joint effort among the schools, the Bangor Daily News and Acadia Hospital. This week’s column was written by a Hampden Academy student. His adviser is Matthew Moon.

When we were young kids we were told what to eat, when to go to sleep and even how to go to the bathroom. We all were under the strict control of our parents, and it seemed as though we could blame them for everything from the condition of our lives to the way the world turned.

However, as we almost instantaneously age from diaper-wearing toddlers to conscientious, educated teenagers, we no longer can pass the blame to our parents. We now have the power and freedom to make our own choices (for the most part), and it is essential that we become leaders and take ownership of our decisions as we develop and change society into what it will be in the future.

As important as leadership and good decisions are, many school systems fail to provide students with leadership opportunities. Rather than focus on skills important in shaping who we are and how we will face the competitive job market in the coming years, school systems often emphasize seemingly frivolous facts and theorems that we most likely won’t remember after the fast-approaching, lazy days of summer.

In no way am I aiming to ridicule the curriculum we are taught, but if the purpose of high school really is to prepare students for college and their future lives, I ask which is more important: being able to recite polyatomic ions or learn how to have compassion, to listen more than speak and make people feel included?

Another commonly found leadership problem in high school is the method by which leaders are chosen. Usually the popular kids get elected to leadership positions such as student government, and the highly talented athletes are appointed captains of teams, regardless of their leadership training or, more importantly, whether they themselves make good decisions and listen to others. The fact is, there are many different types of leaders, and anyone can become a leader. Unfortunately, the quiet leaders who sit in the back of the room and observe rather than force their opinions on others are often overlooked.

Luckily, there are some great leadership opportunities for those who are interested. At some schools, leadership teams enable students to get involved in their communities and schools to make a positive difference. There are Key Clubs and other volunteer opportunities at the hospital and the Maine Discovery Museum, and in the summer there are always recreational coaching jobs at local sports arenas. Some organizations, such as Maine Youth Leadership and the National Center for Student Aspirations, are built solely around providing leadership experience for teens in Maine and developing and fostering leadership skills.

I am fortunate that Hampden Academy has a large and active Leadership Team that focuses on inclusion and acceptance, problem-solving and improvements that can be made in our school and community. Every year upperclassmen from the Leadership Team sponsor a freshman orientation that welcomes and makes the new high schoolers feel included and safe in the school environment before the first day of school when they could get lost in the shuffle. A freshman mentoring program aims at connecting a first-year student to an upperclassman in a small group. If a problem arises or the freshman gets overwhelmed, there is someone to talk to who already has gone through the difficult first year and can relate to students on a different level than a teacher or administrator.

In the past, the leadership team also has run a winter carnival that brought the community outdoors to celebrate the bicentennial of Hampden Academy and Maine’s best season. If your school has an active leadership team, I urge you to join, and if it doesn’t, look into starting one. Such leadership opportunities provide valuable experience and manage to be fun at the same time.

This summer, rather than sitting on your couch being bored out of your mind, take some action to get involved in your community by volunteering, or at least take some steps to become a better leader. Sometimes it is the “hello” in the hallway, and sometimes it is words of encouragement or reaching out to people who need help. Leadership takes many different forms and is about having fun with positive endeavors that build a world of tolerance and acceptance. Consciously improve your listening skills, heighten your compassion for others and take ownership of your decisions, something that I am currently working on as well.

To quote a famous saying, “If you can believe it, you can achieve it.” In the words of Sue Campbell, director of the Youth Sport Trust in England, “Have a go — become a leader.”