Georgia school teaches young men how to be servant leaders
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — As he would stand in the background, shy tenth grader Micah Calhoun wasn’t the one to take the initiative. He just needed the extra push to find his voice and with a new leadership program he has found it.
“What I learned was taking the initiative in situations and being better at communicating about how I feel in certain conditions.”
Calhoun is one of several boys participating in the Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) at Bethesda Academy. The pilot program, which began in August 2021, aims to teach Christian leadership connected to the school’s core values: Love of God, love of learning, and strong work ethic and code of conduct (honor, respect and consideration of others).
The program is two parts: a seminar and 36 Heroes lessons which allow the young men to explore leadership concepts through real-world examples. During the week, students discus servant leadership case studies during the 36 Heroes lessons. After talking about the lessons, the group discuss what they learned, identify any challenges and pinpoint how it is a leadership quality.
The program is open for boys in grades 6-12 who are in the top 10 percent of their classes. Twelve boys, one from each grade, are separated into two groups. Each group has a male and female mentor, who lead the boys on certain leadership topics through non-formal discussions.
The program was created with the help of two interns from the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond.
WHY NOW?
Rev. George Whitefield founded the school in 1740 as an orphanage with a mission focused on the love of God, a love of learning and a strong work ethic.
Bethesda Academy President Mike Hughes said after the school was used as an orphanage, it was used as school for boys with behavior...