Student Leadership Team Grows in North Carolina

“My own self, at my very best, all the time " is one of the definitions of leadership embraced by St. Xavier High School. Members of the junior and senior classes with named leadership positions such as the Student Leadership Team, Bomber Pilots/Navigators, Student Council Officers, and members of the Student Development Team all gathered in Black Mountain, North Carolina for six days of personal, communal, and team leadership development.

They effectively lived out servant leadership as they participated in a full schedule of events. Along the way to came to know much more about themselves, their teammates/classmates, and their ability to effectively lead others. Student Leadership Director Dave Eby joined Director of Development Services Tony Schad, Director of Admissions Rod Hinton, and Mr. Brad Whittaker from Ohio University in coordinating the trip. The team of 49 students used the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina as their home base of activities. Major activities included the Odyssey High Ropes Training Course, a team building Whitewater rafting trip, and the annual hike up High Top Mountain via the High Windy Trail.

The emphasis on getting away from Cincinnati and the comforts of home is to allow the students to better focus on the initiatives of the day while learning about servant leadership. Experiential exercise gaming, role playing, and competitive challenges were part of the daily schedule of leadership training. Visioning, programming, and goal setting were used so that all the different leadership groups hit the ground running when school starts with the three orientation programs. The Student Leadership Team leads most of the formational training programs such as Bomber Pilot/Navigator Retreat, and opening orientations. Student Council will lead their regular events such as Spirit Day, Walk for X, pep rallies, dances, blood drive. The Student Development Team will head up the annual phonathon and Senior Class Gift and will act as ambassadors for the development office in a variety of ways. All gathered at Black Mountain stressed the importance of helping each other out and the eagerness to put what they worked on in action as we begin the 2010-11 school year.