Honesty. Compassion. Respect. Fessenden’s core values serve as a solid foundation for students — from Pre-Kindergarten, all the way through to ninth grade and beyond. With these values central to their education, they begin to learn about leadership early on, in age-appropriate ways. As they grow, leadership begins to take on different meanings for different boys.
To finish our three part series on leadership, we asked students to share their answers to the questions: What does it mean to be a leader? What does leadership mean to you?
Friendship as the Foundation of Leadership Skills for Boys
From their earliest years, boys begin learning that leadership starts with kindness and empathy. These simple yet powerful lessons form the foundation of leadership skills for boys as they grow.
In Pre-Kindergarten, boys first begin to learn about leadership from the perspective of friendship. Here is what some of them shared about what it means to be a good friend.
“Hug someone if they’re sad.”
“Play with them.”
“If someone is sad, you can help them.”
“Be kind.”
“Read with them.”
“If you broke something, help them fix it.”
“Comfort someone who is hurt or sad even if you’re not the Class Comforter.”
“Be kind even if other kids aren’t being so kind.”
“A leader helps people to never give up.”
Responsibility and Role Modeling in Junior Boarding School Leadership
As boys enter elementary and middle school, they begin to recognize that true leadership involves responsibility, integrity, and setting an example for others. These values are central to junior boarding school leadership, where boys are encouraged to practice responsibility both inside and outside the classroom.
“Leadership to me means setting an example and doing the right thing.”
“I think leadership means being responsible, forgiving, and patient.”
“A leader is someone who steps up when no one does and guides everyone in the group.”
“To be a leader means to be a role model, do the right thing, and be an example.”
“Being a leader means being honest, compassionate, and having respect.”
“For me, leadership means that others will follow your example. For people to do this, you need to show that you will make the right choices at the right time. To be a leader, you need to be smart, kind, and strong. Strong does not have to be strong in muscle. Strong can be in the mind. That is what I think a leader is.”
“Leadership means that when everybody is doing something wrong, you do the right thing. Even if you get criticized for it, nothing should stop you.”
“Being a leader means to help people who are in a tough spot and to be a good role model.”
“Set an example for your friends.”
Independent School Leadership Programs: Listening, Connecting, and Taking Action
“A leader should place his or her priority on understanding other opinions and should act as a connector to combine the different ideas.”
From comforting friends in Pre-K to uniting classmates in middle and upper grades, these student voices illustrate that leadership is a lifelong journey. Student leadership in middle school and beyond is about kindness, responsibility, and the courage to act.
In case you missed the first two posts in our leadership series, here are the links:
