leadership assignment for high school students

83 Leadership Activities, Building Games, and Exercises

Leadership activities are associated with benefits to business, including increased performance and productivity.

However, perhaps the sign of a truly successful leader is a happy, healthy workplace. Interested in what leadership activities can do for your workplace or school? Read on.

With the activities below, there may be some overlap with activities found under certain headings – for example, activities suitable for adults may also be useful for groups, or with employees.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Leadership Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or others adopt positive leadership practices and help organizations thrive.

This Article Contains:

What are leadership activities, what are they used for, 8 examples of leadership activities, 4 leadership workshop ideas, 2 activities that showcase different leadership styles, 3 situational leadership activities and scenarios, 8 games and activities for kids to learn leadership skills, 6 leadership development activities for teens and youth (pdf), 3 classroom leadership activities for students in elementary and middle school, 6 leadership activities and games for high school students, 3 activities and exercises for college students (pdf), 7 leadership games and activities for adults, 5 leadership group and team activities, 8 leadership training activities for employees, 5 leadership building exercises for managers, 11 leadership exercises for team building in the workplace, a take-home message.

Increasingly, people are assuming positions of leadership in the workplace (Cserti, 2018). However, the journey to becoming a leader is lengthy (Cserti, 2018). Leadership activities are valuable on the journey to becoming an effective leader , and also develop confidence in leadership teams (Cserti, 2018; Stepshift, 2016).

Leadership activities may be conducted on or off site, and be physical or sedentary (Stepshift, 2016). Leadership activities can either be performed by a leader in their own team, or with an external facilitator (Cserti, 2018). They may take the form of specially organized themed events, such as scavenger hunts (Stepshift, 2016). Or, they may be smaller, office-based tasks built into an ordinary workday.

For example, leadership activities could consist of meeting openers or conference break activities (Stepshift, 2016).

Leadership activities can be an effective way for individuals to practice and strengthen their leadership and team-building skills (Cserti, 2018). They can also be fun!

The structure of leadership activities is essential. It is important that the participants can relate the activity to the workplace setting (Stepshift, 2016).

The working style, principles, and values of a leader is a crucial aspect in determining the behavior within an organization (Cserti, 2018). Leadership training can help leaders become role-models (Cserti, 2018). The behavior of leaders and what they consider the “norm” determines which behaviors are enforced and those which are punished (Cserti, 2018).

Given the importance of a leader’s behavior, it is also essential that they learn skills, such as:

Communication

Leaders need to develop the ability to clearly, succinctly explain to employees everything from the goals of a company to the details of specific work-tasks (Doyle, 2019). Many components are important for effective communication , including active listening, reading body language and written communication such as emails (Doyle, 2019).

Leaders need to inspire employees. They may do this by increasing worker’s self-esteem , by recognizing effort and achievement, or by giving a worker new responsibilities to further their investment in the business (Doyle, 2019).

Leaders can achieve this by identifying the skills that workers have, and as such assign tasks to each worker based on the skills they have (Doyle, 2019).

Being positive helps develop a happy , healthy work environment, even when the workplace is busy or stressful (Doyle, 2019).

Trustworthiness

By demonstrating integrity , workers will feel at ease to approach their leader with questions or concerns (Doyle, 2019). Building trust is one of the most essential leadership skills.

Good leaders are willing to try novel solutions or to approach problems in a non-traditional way (Doyle, 2019).

Leaders are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to provide team members with information about their performance, without ‘micromanaging’ their work (Doyle, 2019).

Responsibility

A good leader accepts mistakes or failures and instead look for solutions for improvement of a situation (Doyle, 2019). This skill also includes being reflective and being open to feedback (Doyle, 2019).

A leader should strive to follow through with everything that they agree to do (Doyle, 2019). It also involves applying appropriate feedback and keeping promises (Doyle, 2019).

Flexibility

Leaders need to be able to accept changes and creatively problem-solve, as well as being open to suggestions and feedback (Doyle, 2019).

While these skills are explained in a workplace context, they can easily be applied to other leadership situations such as sports or community groups.

Now that you have more clarity as to what leadership activities are, and what they are used for, let us look at a wide selection of activities. While some of the activities and games may not immediately appear to be ‘leadership activities,’ the chosen activities might develop and promote the leadership skills outlined above.

Here are eight such activities:

• Sports Sports provide the experience of being a team member and developing leadership skills (Flavin, 2018).
• Cross-cultural experience Experiences with a different culture provide new, potentially uncomfortable situations and help develop communication skills that may not be learned elsewhere (Flavin, 2018). Overseas travel, or working with a different cultural group within your community can provide an opportunity to learn new skills, or may involve barriers that must be overcome – all teaching leadership (Flavin, 2018).
• Social groups Involvement in social activities helps potential leaders develop a well-rounded, confident personality which enhances their capacity to lead a team (Flavin, 2018).
• Internships Taking an internship position demonstrates initiative in finding opportunities to learn and seeking practical work – valuable skills in leadership (Flavin, 2018).
• Volunteering As well as showing ambition, volunteering shows that you are willing to commit yourself to something that you are passionate about (Flavin, 2018).
• Student government and organizations Specifically considering students, being involved in co-curricular organizations help individuals develop leadership (Flavin, 2018). Being involved in student government or organizations can provide opportunities to demonstrate leadership and have an impact on those around you (Flavin, 2018).
• ‘Passion projects’ Showing commitment to a passion for better communities; for example, mentoring shows that you are likely to focus on the greater good for a team (Flavin, 2018).
• ‘Teamwork’ This can be anything at all, from helping out with planning a family event or participating in a volunteer day, will demonstrate and develop leadership skills (Flavin, 2018).

Download 3 Free Positive Leadership Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or others to adopt positive leadership practices to help individuals, teams and organizations to thrive.

Download 3 Free Positive Leadership Exercises Pack (PDF)

By filling out your name and email address below.

• Email Address *
• Your Expertise * Your expertise Therapy Coaching Education Counseling Business Healthcare Other
• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Effective leaders are aware that continuing professional and personal development is the key to ongoing success (Higgins, 2018). As such, they recognize that leadership workshops are important (Higgins, 2018). What activities can be used in such a workshop?

Here are four suggestions:

Idea 1: ‘Tallest Tower’ (from Stepshift, 2016)

Participants are provided with everyday items such as toothpicks, wooden blocks, uncooked pasta and so on. The task is to build the tallest possible free-standing structure from the materials provided. This activity is designed to encourage creative problem-solving and developing collaboration skills.

Idea 2: ‘Centre Stage’ (from Higgins, 2018)

Select four team members as volunteers. One team member plays the role of an employee who has missed meetings or been late to work in recent times. Each of the other three participants demonstrates a different style of leader (to save time, nominate the particular personality trait). Ask all participants to form a circle, and put two chairs in the middle of the circle.

After each demonstration of how to deal with the employee, ask the whole group to reflect on the different leadership approaches. For example, the group could consider what worked and what did not. Finally, to conclude this activity, ask the group to consider what the ‘ideal’ leader would do in the scenario.

Idea 3: ‘Minefield’ (from Stepshift, 2016)

This activity helps build trust and improve communication skills. It involves participants working in pairs, with one team member being blindfolded. Then, using only specified communication techniques, the pair negotiate their way around or over a ‘minefield’ of obstacles.

So, for example, the participants may be told they are only able to use commands such as the words ‘left’ or ‘right,’ ‘forwards’ or ‘backwards.’ The aim is to help the blindfolded team member to navigate the ‘minefield’.

Idea 4: ‘Magic Carpet’ (from Higgins, 2018)

Provide a small tarp or rug, which has enough room for all workshop participants to stand within its boundaries. Then, inform the group that their task is to work together to flip the rug or tarp over without any participant stepping off. If (or when) a participant steps off the teams have discussed all of the paragraphs or tarp, the team must begin again.

These are: autocratic (also known as authoritarian), delegative (also called ‘free reign)’ and democratic (which is also called participative) (Clark, 2015; Johnson-Gerard, 2017).

An autocratic leader makes decisions without first consulting others, while a delegative leader allows the staff to make the decisions (Johnson-Gerard, 2017). Finally, a democratic leader consults with the staff in making workplace decisions (Johnson-Gerard, 2017).

Here is an excellent resource for exploring different leadership styles.

The workbook also provides some helpful worksheets.

The following two activities help participants think more deeply about styles of leadership. The group should be divided into small groups of 3 – 4 participants. The participants work in groups for the first activity, and then they work individually on the second activity.

Activity One (Clark, 2015)

Provide a list of approximately 10 – 12 scenarios displaying the three different leadership styles. For example, “a new supervisor has just been put in charge of the production line. He immediately starts by telling the crew what change needs to be made. When some suggestions are made, he tells them he does not have time to consider them”.

The group then works together to figure out which leadership style is used in each scenario and to talk about whether it is effective, or if a different style could work better.

Encourage participants to think about themselves in a similar situation and their reaction to the particular leadership style.

Activity Two (Clark, 2015)

Provide participants with the statement ‘consider a time when you, or another leader, used the authoritarian (autocratic), participative (democratic) or delegative (free reign) style of leadership’.

Ask participants to reflect on the statement and make a few comments, such as: was it effective? Would a different leadership style have worked better? What were the employees’ experiences? Did they learn from the leadership style? What was it they learned? Which style is easiest to use (and why)? Alternatively, nominate the style which the participant prefers (and why).

To conclude these two activities, come together as a whole group and discuss what was learned about the three styles of leadership.

Leadership building activities – Project management training – ProjectManager

Situational leadership is when a leader is flexible in their approach and uses different leadership strategies depending on the situation (Johnson-Gerard, 2017). The following three games, from Johnson-Gerard (2017) provide an opportunity to explore situational leadership:

1. ‘Jumping Ship’

The aim of this game is for participants to reflect upon different leadership styles and come up with a list of actual workplace scenarios which would need a leader to abandon a natural leadership style for one that is more effective (i.e., to ‘jump ship’).

Each group is given three large pieces of paper. Ask the teams to write one style of leadership on each (i.e., autocratic, delegative, democratic). Then, allow the groups 45 minutes to come up with real work situations for which employing the particular leadership style would be disastrous.

Ask the groups to place the sheets of paper up on the wall, and to discuss the sheets as a team. As a whole group, review the posters.

2. ‘Who Ya Gonna Call’

Each participant begins by writing a one-paragraph description of a work situation that is not going well. Collect these, and at the top of each page, number them in consecutive order. Then, divide the participants into two teams.

Give each team half of the paragraphs. Then, ask the teams to choose the style of leadership that would be the least and the most effective in solving the problem. Have the teams note their answers on a piece of paper, being sure to identify the paragraph number on the top of each page, and their choices.

Then, ask the teams to swap paragraphs and repeat the activity.

When the teams have discussed all the paragraphs, discuss the scenarios and review the choices as a group. Where the team’s choices are different, discuss as a group.

3. ‘Ducks in a Row’

This particular activity enables participants to devise a 3-to-5 step decision-making process they can use when challenging leadership situations occur.

Ask participants to form pairs. Then, ask them to come up with the steps that an effective leader goes through in order to work out how to manage a difficult situation. After about 30 minutes, ask each pair to review the steps they have come up with for the group, and to write them on a large piece of paper.

Ask every pair to review their process, and after all the pairs have done so, have a group discussion that enables a consensus to be reached about the three to five most effective steps to take in a difficult leadership situation.

Edsys (2016) provides eight suggested activities for children to learn leadership skills:

1. ‘Create a New You’

Provide children with materials such as textas, crayons, poster/construction paper, magazines, and scissors. Then, ask them to draw themselves, using things that clearly show that the picture is theirs – such as using cut-outs of their most favorite things to do, foods they like, pets, and whatever else makes them unique.

Once the children have finished their posters, they can show their completed work to the other children – helping kids to improve their confidence to lead.

2. ‘Same or Different’

The children sit in a circle. Ask the first child to point to another child in the circle who is similar to them, either in appearance, hair-style or clothing color. Then, when the child has chosen someone, ask them to note other differences and similarities they have with the child they have chosen.

3. ‘Move the Egg’

Ask children to form groups of four or five. Then, have the children select a leader for their team. Each participant is given a spoon and an egg. The leader has the task of finding an effective way to move the eggs from one point to another. For example, one option may be for children to form a line to pass each egg along.

Another leader may suggest forgetting about the spoons altogether and merely tell their group to make a run for it. The winner of the game is the group that can get their egg safely across the finish in the most creative way.

4. ‘Lead the Blindfolded’

This game requires a large indoor or outdoor area. Divide the children into two groups and give them enough blindfolds for everyone except one member to put on. The teams are placed at opposite sides of the space. The child who is not blindfolded is required to lead their team to the other side of the designated space, using clear commands.

Ensure that each member of the team has an opportunity to lead their team. The winner is the team that sees its members successfully cross the finish line.

5. ‘Charity Support’

Help children support a charity by organizing a fundraiser. Each child can have a different task. For example, one child may select the charity, another may find a suitable space to hold the fundraising activity, and another child can collect donations.

6. ‘Planning Strategies’

Teach children to divide a large task into smaller steps. Set the children a large task, such as holding a class function. Show the children a plan that enables them to achieve the task step by step. This activity can involve a number of children sharing tasks. Suggest to the children how they may be able to improve.

7. ‘Volunteer Roles’

Volunteering plays a role in leadership. Discuss with children how they would like to help someone in need. Older children may be interested in taking a role in an organization in their community. The children should be helped to select a volunteer opportunity that gives them a chance to practice leadership and work with other children.

8. ‘A Quick Quiz’

In this task, ask students to be prepared to evaluate an experience when it is over. Then, after the experience, ask the child questions. For example, inquire “Do you remember the name of the dog we saw?”, “What was it?”, “Did you touch the dog?”, “What is the owner’s name?” and so on.

This is an excellent introduction to leadership for kids in grades 4 – 6 (children aged approximately 9 – 12 years).

The following resources are appropriate for helping teens and youth to develop leadership:

1. “Leaders are, can, and think”

This looks at what a leader is, and what their role can and should be.

2. “Who do you admire and why?”

This worksheet examines leadership role models and the qualities we see in them that we want to develop in ourselves.

3. “4 Ways leaders approach tasks: Leaders Motivation”

This handout focuses on leadership attitude.

4. “Lesson Planet”

Links to 45+ reviewed resources for teen leadership which can be accessed free by registering your details.

5. The Women’s Learning Partnership

This partnership has created a comprehensive manual for promoting leadership for teens aged 13 – 17 years. The manual outlines a number of sessions which guide leadership development activities.

6. “I Care Values Activity”

This is a fun, engaging and introspective activity . It is suitable for students aged 13 and upwards, so it can be used with older students or adults too.

Examples of such activities are:

1. ‘Just Listen’ (Edsys, 2016)

Make an agreement that you and the student(s) will refrain from talking about yourselves for a whole day. Ask them, rather, to listen to others, and if they do talk to another person, it should be about the person whom they are talking to. This game helps children to learn how important it is to focus on other people rather than themselves, which forms the basis of ‘relational leadership’.

2. Silence Classroom Leadership Game (Stapleton, 2018).

To begin the activity, the teacher divides students into two teams, and the teams move to either side of the classroom. The desks may be pushed aside to create more space. The teacher instructs the students to, for example, ‘line up according to the first letter of your surname’ or ‘arrange yourselves into age order by the month your birthday is in’. The students then follow the directions without speaking a word to one another.

Students are permitted to use hand signals, or even write instructions down on paper. The teacher’s instruction to the students is that they are not allowed to talk. The winning team is the one that completes the task successfully.

3. ‘The Cup Game’ (Tony, 2018)

Divide students into pairs and select one student to be the leader. Each team should face each other standing up, with a plastic cup in the middle. The leader calls out simple directions, such as ‘touch your knee’, ‘close one eye’ and so on.

When the leader calls out “cup” the students should try and be the first to grab the cup. The player who successfully grabs the cup should pair up with another player who also got the cup. Those without a cup sit down and watch.

Once the new teams of two have formed, the cup is put in between the players and the game begins again. This process continues until only one person is left standing – and the resulting winner becomes the new leader… and play can begin all over again.

By high school, students are more sophisticated. Here are some interesting activities for high school students to develop leadership.

1. Brainstorming for change (Stapleton, 2018)

The teacher puts students into groups of 4 or 5. The goal is for students to come up with possible solutions to social, political or economic problems. Working together, students brainstorm both small- and large-scale solutions to a given problem topic.

Once the groups have finalized their list of detailed solutions, the teacher facilitates a discussion with the whole class, and together they examine which of the identified solutions could be a viable option and why.

2. Leadership characteristics (Stapleton, 2018)

The teacher puts students into pairs or groups of three. Then, each group member shares a story about someone whom they consider to be an influential leader. After each story has been shared, students discuss the characteristics that they think made the person in the story an effective leader.

Once each student has shared a story, students compile a list of all the characteristics of an influential leader they identified. Post these characteristics on the walls around the classroom.

3. Blindfold leader game (Stapleton, 2018)

The teacher arranges the students into a single line, and comes up with a starting point and finishing point. Then, the teacher places a blindfold on every student except for the student who is at the front of the line.

The teacher tells each student to put their left hand on the left shoulder of the person in front of them. Next, the teacher says “go”. The aim is for the leader (who is not blindfolded) to walk towards the finishing point, providing instructions to students behind, who are blindfolded.

An extra challenging game sees the teacher putting obstacles in the path – the leader must direct followers on how to avoid the obstacles and successfully reach the finish line. When this goal is achieved, a different student takes a turn of being the leader.

4. Buckets and balls (Cohen, 2017)

This game aims to move all the balls from one box to another. The catch is, team members cannot use their hands or arms. In equal-sized teams, players choose one ‘handler’ per team. This is the only person who can touch the balls with their hands.

The handler must remain behind the start line throughout the game. Team members attempt to get balls from their bucket at the finish line, and get them to the team’s handler without the ball touching their hands or arms.

The handler places the balls into the empty bucket at the start line. If a team member touches the ball, they are disqualified and can no longer participate. Give teams a 5-minute time limit. All teams play at the same time, and the team that has the most balls in the handler’s bucket at the end of the game wins.

5. Team jigsaw (Cohen, 2017)

Two teams have to complete a jigsaw puzzle within a 20 – 30-minute time limit. Give each team a box containing a puzzle. At first, A body will assume that their task is to complete the puzzle. As they work on it, however, teams will realize that the puzzle is missing some of its pieces and has some additional pieces that do not fit their puzzle.

Teams then have the task to communicate with one another, and they will eventually realize that they need to work together to complete the puzzle. Teams are only allowed to exchange pieces of the puzzle one at a time.

6. ‘Sneak-a-peak’ (Cohen, 2017)

Divide participants into two teams. Build a structure out of Lego. Make it complicated, but able to be replicated. Ensure that there is sufficient Lego left to build two similar copies of the structure.

Make sure that this structure is kept out of eyesight.

A player from each team is allowed to see the structure for 10 seconds. Then, the players will return to their respective teams and have 25 seconds in which to give his/her team instruction as to how to build the structure. Then, the teams have 1 minute to build the structure.

When that minute is up, another team member takes a look at the structure for 10 seconds and has a further 25 seconds to deliver their instructions to their team.

This process continues until all the team members have had a chance to examine the structure and provide instructions. The team that successfully built the structure is the winner.

• “ The Leadership Training Activity Book ” by Lois. B. Hart and Charlotte S. Waisman (2005) contains 50 handouts for leadership activities that would be suitable for college students. Find it on Amazon .
• This resource provides helpful leadership tip sheets that are suitable for college students. Examples of tip sheets are “ten keys to effective listening” and “basic confrontation guidelines”.
• Another valuable resource that can be used to develop team-building – an aspect of leadership.

A wide range of leadership activities are suitable for adults:

1. The Marshmallow Challenge

In this activity , teams use spaghetti sticks, tape and string to construct the tallest free-standing structure. They are given one marshmallow, which must be placed at the top of the structure. Devised by Tom Wujec.

2. ‘Stand up’ (Landau, 2018)

This game is convenient in that it requires no materials. It involves two people. They sit on the floor, facing one another. They hold hands, and the soles of their feet are placed together. Then, the task is for both people to stand up at the same time. This game builds trust and teamwork, and also develops skills in problem solving and collaboration.

3. Zoom (Stepshift, 2016)

A set of randomly provided sequential pictures are given to the participants. The task requires participants to put the pictures in the correct order to recreate the story, without knowing which pictures the other participants have. This activity can be an effective way to improve communication, patience, and tolerance.

4. ‘You’re a Poet’ (Landau, 2018)

To harness creativity and reflect on leadership concepts, one activity for adults is to write a poem. This activity can be done individually or in small groups. The aim is to consider leadership in creative ways to find new perspectives.

5. ‘Leadership Pizza’ (Cserti, 2018)

This activity can help adults develop leadership. It does so by providing a self-assessment tool. People begin by identifying the skills, attitudes, and attributes that they consider being important for successful leadership. The individual then rates their own development in the defined areas. The framework can also provide a helpful tool in assisting adults in identifying their leadership development goals in a coaching session.

6. Leadership advice from your role model (Cserti, 2018)

Each participant considers a role model who they admire. They then think about a young person they know. If the young person was to ask the role model for leadership advice, what kind of advice would the role model give?

In groups, discuss and share the sort of advice identified and talk about contradicting points and how they can be reconciled. This sharing discussion may be a practical introduction to the idea of situational leadership.

7. ‘Crocodile River’ (Cserti, 2018)

This outdoor activity challenges a group to physically provide support to the group members’ behavior move from one end of a designated space to the other.

Participants are told to pretend that the whole team must cross a wide river which contains dangerous crocodiles. Magic stones (which are represented by wooden planks) provide the only supports to be used to cross the river (which has ‘banks’ that are marked out by two ropes).

These ‘stones’ only float on the water if there is constant body contact. These ‘stones’ (i.e., the wooden planks) are placed next to the ‘river bank’ – there should be one less plank than the total number of participants. As part of the game, if a participant’s hand or foot touches the ‘water’, it will be bitten off (if this happens during the challenge, the participant must hold the hand behind their back).

The facilitator then pretends to be the ‘crocodile’, keeping a close eye on the group as they attempt to cross the river. When one of the stones (the planks) is not in body contact, it is removed. When participants mistakenly touch the ground with their hands or feet, tell them that the limb has therefore been bitten off and the player must continue without using it.

This activity continues until the group succeeds in getting all group members to the other side of the ‘river’. If anyone falls in, the group is deemed to have failed, and they must begin the river crossing attempt again.

1. ‘Feedback: Start, Stop, Continue’ (Cserti, 2018)

Openness creates trust, which then promotes further openness. This activity is designed to be used by a group that has spent sufficient time together in order to have a range of shared experiences they can draw from when they are providing feedback.

Each participant takes a post-it and writes the name of the person who they are addressing on it. Then, they write on the post-it:

“To…. Something I would like you to START doing is…. something I would like you to STOP doing is…. something I would like you to CONTINUE doing is……Signed: ___________”

In groups of around 4 to 6 people, participants complete these sentences on one post-it for the other participants in their group.

If they cannot think of relevant feedback for one of the prompts (i.e., start, stop, continue), they do not need to include it. Once the group has finished writing, they provide the feedback verbally, one at a time, and afterward hand the post-it to the relevant person.

2. Round Tables (Stepshift, 2016)

Four tables are set up with different tasks. Each task has separate steps that participants can be responsible for carrying out. The group select a team member, who is only allowed to communicate and delegate tasks but not take a part in the task. Each table is timed to record how long the task takes to be completed. Round Tables improves leadership and delegation skills.

3. ‘Pass the hoop’ (Landau, 2018)

This game requires participants to stand in a circle and hold hands. One person in the group has a hula hoop around their arm. The game aims to pass the hula hoop the whole way around the circle.

As well as promoting teamwork and problem-solving, this game develops communication skills. Being able to communicate effectively is a crucial skill for any successful leader to have.

4. ‘Improv night’ (Landau, 2018)

One key responsibility of the leader of a team is to encourage team bonding. One way to facilitate bonding is improvisation. ‘Improv’ develops skills in communication – helping teams to listen and pay attention. It also builds self-awareness, self-confidence, and creativity.

Arrange the group into ‘audience’ and ‘performers’. Then, members of the audience take turns in calling out the specified location, profession, and scenario (e.g., coffeehouse, cop, and purchasing a donut). Chosen suggestions are fun and should promote creativity.

5. ‘Shape-Shifting’ (Landau, 2018)

This game requires a rope that is tied at both ends to form a loop. The loop needs to be big enough for all group members to hold onto with both hands as they stand in a circle. The group is instructed to make a chosen shape (e.g., circle, square, triangle). The group attempts to create the shape on the floor.

Progressively, ask the group to make more complex shapes – e.g., a dog, or a tree. To add another layer of difficulty, instruct the team to communicate without talking – i.e., to rely on hand gestures. Afterward, have the group reflect on their experience and discuss the importance of communication.

Leadership is an integral feature of any workplace. Here are some activities to promote leadership in employees:

1. Your favorite manager (Cserti, 2018)

To begin this activity, employees individually take the role of three different people and brainstorm the particular behaviors that each person’s most favorite and least favorite managers demonstrate, from the chosen person’s perspective. After the employees have had the chance to reflect, the participants compare their list of behaviors – in pairs, and then subsequently, in groups.

The teams then prepare a list of ‘dos and don’ts’ for developing better employee perceptions of the leader’s style.

2. Explore your values (Cserti, 2018)

The values of a leader are reflected in their organization. In this activity, each participant writes ten things that they value most in their lives, each one on a post-it. Then, ask the employees to spread the Post-its in a way in which they can see them all clearly. Then, explain to them that they will have 30 seconds to select the three Post-its that are of least importance to them.

It is essential to time strictly, so that the participants rely on their gut feelings.

Repeat the process, this time allowing participants to have 20 seconds to discard two more values. Finally, give the participants a further 20 seconds to throw another two away. Participants should have three Post-its in front of them, showing their top three important values.

Following the activity, have participants reflect individually for about 15 minutes about what was found, and then to discuss reflection questions in pairs or groups of three.

Because this activity is done quickly, participants are encouraged to follow their own intuition – rather than over-thinking and finding what they perceive to be the ‘right’ values.

3. ‘Leadership Coat of Arms’ (Cserti, 2018; Landau, 2018).

Each leader has their own values and the things that they consider valuable and important. These values guide the behavior of the leader and make up a person’s unique leadership philosophy.

This activity sees participants drawing their own ‘leadership coat of arms’ embodying their leadership philosophy.

Individuals have 10 – 15 minutes to draw their coat of arms. They can divide the coat of arms (or ‘crest’) into four sections. To fill each section, consider the categories of leadership skills, values that help influence others, recent achievements/accomplishments and what you like most about your current work.

They should be encouraged not to be overly concerned with how visually appealing their picture is but rather that it expressed what they personally believe to be important aspects of a leader.

Once the drawings are complete, the participants can show their drawings to the others in the group and explain their unique coat of arms. It is also helpful to reflect on the activity – consider which section was easiest to complete and whether your crest reflects your company’s values.

4. Communication: Coach the Builder (Goyette, 2016)

Divide employees into groups of four to seven people. Each group should be given two sets of blocks (such as Lego). Each set should have a minimum of 10 blocks.

Beforehand, you should construct a sample object (e.g., a house) from one of the sets of blocks. In each group, select a leader, a delegator, a builder and a note-taker. The note-taker watches and records the group’s behavior during the task. They take note of what appeared to be done well and how employees could improve.

The leader is given the item that you built – however, they are the only group member to see the object. Set a timer for ten minutes. To begin with, the leader describes to the delegator how the builder should build a replica of the item. However, the delegator does not see the object, and at this stage of the activity, the builder should not hear the instructions.

The delegator can speak with the leader as often as necessary during the 10 minutes. The builder attempts to build the same item that the leader can see. However, they are only relying on the delegator’s instructions. At this stage, the delegator should not see the object that the builder is constructing.

When the time is up, reveal both objects to all participants and see how closely they match. Finally, to wrap up the activity, employees can discuss what was either frustrating or easy about the process and discuss how they may do things differently in order to achieve better results.

5. Accountability (Goyette, 2016)

Begin a meeting by saying to the group – “the seating arrangement is totally wrong for today’s meeting. You have 60 seconds to improve it”. If the employees ask further questions, only repeat the instructions. While some employees may continue asking questions, others may start moving the furniture around straight away. Observe the team and what they do without giving any further information, feedback, or instructions.

After 1 minute, let the employees know to stop. Then, ask them whether the objective was achieved, and how. Discuss with employees how and why a lack of clarity makes it challenging to complete a task.

Then, discuss who asked for clarification and how they felt when the leader refused to give further details. Use this opportunity to highlight to employees how if they fail to ask questions, and when the person in charge of a project doesn’t provide the necessary clarification, the whole team is at risk of making mistakes or even not completing a task.

Finally, ask how the time pressure affected behavior. Discuss how employees may be more likely to respond to pressure, or stress, by taking action without first confirming a plan and the significant problems this approach can lead to.

6. The “what if” game (Deputy, 2018)

Present different hypothetical problematic scenarios to employees. Either individually or by providing a document that requires written answers, present situations such as “you didn’t follow the rules, and subsequently lost an important client. You have lost a lot of money for the company. How do you justify this? What is your solution?”.

The questions only need to be rough, and employees should only receive a short time with which to think of their responses. If there is a particularly challenging question, provide a time limit of five minutes.

7. ‘Silver Lining’ (Cohen, 2017)

Employees form teams of at least two people who have shared a work experience – e.g., working on a project together. One person shares an experience from working together that was negative for them.

Then, the second person reflects on the same experience but instead reflects on the positive aspects of the experience (i.e., the ‘ silver lining ’). Then this same person shares their own negative experience, and this time it is up to the other person to focus on the positive aspects of it.

Often, when people reflect on an experience, they do so with a particular perspective . By looking at the positive aspects of a ‘negative’ experience, this helps individuals shift perspectives. Furthermore, by sharing experiences, employees develop deeper relationships, and team bonding is promoted.

8. My favorite brand (Training Course Material, n.d.).

Ask employees to bring three or four printed logos/brands that they use regularly or admire most. Then, form groups of 3 – 4 people. Teams have a period of ten minutes to share and discuss their chosen logos.

Their task is to agree upon the team’s top 2 logos or brands which is their team’s choice. The team also selects a team spokesperson who will report to the bigger group about why the team chose the specific brands/logos.

Participants are encouraged to share personal experiences or stories that they had with their chosen brand. After the ten minutes elapses, each spokesperson presents the logos that the team began with as well as their two top chosen logos/brands. It is their role to explain to the group why the team voted on their top brand/logo.

1. Manager or leader? (Training Course Material, n.d.)

Small groups of managers work together to create two tables, one titled ‘leader’ and one titled ‘manager’. In each table, the group writes statements describing either management behavior or leadership behavior.

For example, the ‘manager’ table may contain statements such as “schedules work to be done” or “delegates tasks”. On the other hand, statements in the ‘leader’ table could be “motivating staff” and “creating culture”.

The purpose of this activity is to demonstrate to managers the difference between management versus leadership, and show that while ‘every leader can be a manager, not every manager can be a leader’. However, by brainstorming leadership behaviors, managers begin the process of becoming a successful leader.

2. The race of the leaders (Deputy, 2018)

This activity encourages leadership behaviors. To begin with, write a list of leadership qualities – approximately 10 – 20 statements – on a piece of paper. Describe the qualities – e.g., ‘I determine everything that happens to me’, and ‘I will not blame others for my problems’.

Read these statements out loud, and participants take a step forward if they believe a statement describes them. They must be prepared to give reasons as to why they think they possess each quality. Continue reading the statements until there is a definite ‘winner’.

3. The best team member (Training Course Material, n.d.).

Divide the group into teams of about 4 – 5 participants. Give each team a large, blank piece of paper and markers. Each group has the task to come up with as many characteristics of their ‘ideal’ team member as they can. Teams should consider what this ‘best team member ever’ would be like.

After ten minutes, the groups should examine the characteristics that they have written and work out the portion which are ‘technical’ skills and those which are ‘interpersonal’. The aim is to work out whether most of the traits can be classified as technical or interpersonal skills.

Teams usually come to realize that interpersonal skills in employees are especially critical and that these have a tremendous impact on the quality and quantity of workplace performance.

This activity can be adapted according to the setting. For example, if the focus is on leadership development, teams could discuss their ideal leader/supervisor.

4. The importance of feedback (Training Course Material, n.d.).

Divide the group into three teams. Provide each team with poster paper and markers or pens.

Team A is required to consider as many reasons as they can that would make them apprehensive to provide feedback to another person.

Team B is asked to consider what feedback can help them so, i.e., what feedback will help them accomplish.

Team C comes up with as many things as they can that would make a feedback session effective.

Each team has 15 minutes to brainstorm their ideas, then, each team can present their ideas.

Point out to Team A that the hurdles they suggested are self-imposed ideas that will lead to the manager fearing the worst. Instead, managers should be encouraged to share feedback on a more regular basis to gain the necessary experience in having such conversations. Furthermore, by having an awareness of the most effective way to prepare and deliver feedback can help a manager conquer the issues holding them back.

Point out to Team B that providing constructive feedback as needed is imperative for developing a productive work environment. A feedback discussion that is well-planned and thought out delivers an opportunity to share what you have noticed about another person’s job performance and bring about productive change.

Finally, after Team C has shared their ideas, point out that effective feedback is specific, honest, and backed up with evidence. The feedback will help others to come up with goals, make and reinforce positive changes, promote self-confidence and encourage action in the workplace.

Thank all the teams for their participation and input.

5. ‘Shark Tank’ (Deputy, 2018).

This activity is derived from a famous TV show that gives people a chance to show their entrepreneurial skills. Managers may work individually or in groups. The aim of this activity is for employees to come up with a business plan that outlines the steps of how to build a successful company from ‘startup’.

Once the managers have a plan, they can create a ‘pitch’, which should contain the brand’s name, its’ tagline (or slogan), a detailed business plan, a detailed marketing plan, financial predictions (sales, profits and market) and potential problems (competition, lack of resources).

In a role play, appoint a few chosen managers to be the ‘sharks’ (the ones who consider the projects’ merit and offer imaginary ‘investments’). The winning group, or individual, is the one who raised the most money from the ‘shark’.

17 Exercises To Build Positive Leaders

Use these 17 Positive Leadership Exercises [PDF] to help others inspire, motivate, and guide employees in ways that enrich workplace performance and satisfaction. Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

1. The Human Icebreaker (Stepshift, 2016).

This is a simple activity that can alleviate tension and promote discussion and contribution. Participants devise a list of questions that relate to people generally – for example, “who is left-handed?”. Participants then discover which team members meet the question’s criteria. After 10 minutes, the participant who has the most answers wins. This activity promotes communication and helps team members build inter-personal skills.

2. ‘Office trivia’ (Cohen, 2017)

This quick activity can help as an ice-breaker and provides a flexible option for team building. Create a list of trivia questions that are related to the workplace. For example, “how many people named ‘John’ work in the accounting department?” or, “how many people work in the IT department?”. Read the questions out loud to the whole group. The employee with the most correct answers at the end is the winner.

3. Plane crash (Stepshift, 2016)

The participants imagine that they are on a plane which has crashed on a deserted island. They are allowed to select a specified number of items from around the workplace that would help the group to survive. Each chosen item is ranked in importance. The whole group must agree on their decision. This activity helps with creative problem solving and collaboration.

4. ‘Magazine story’ (Cohen, 2017)

Each team works together to come up with an imaginary cover story of a magazine, about a successful project or business achievement. The team designs the images, headlines, and come up with quotes.

5. The Human Knot (Stepshift, 2016)

Relying on cooperation, this is a good problem-solving and communication activity. Participants stand shoulder to shoulder in a circle. Then, they put their right hand in the hand of a person who stands across from them. They then put their left hand in the hand of another different person (but not someone standing directly next to them).

Participants are required to untangle the human knot without breaking the chain. If the chain is broken, the participants must start over.

6. Make your own movie (Cohen, 2017)

This is a fun activity that is suitable for both indoors and outdoors. Although it requires the necessary equipment (i.e., camera, tripod, and microphone), teams enjoy it. Employees should work in large groups (more than eight people) and divide responsibilities. Teams work together to come up with scripts for a 5 – 7-minute movie.

7. Radio Play (Cohen, 2017)

This activity can provide an alternative to making a movie. Employees work together, spending about one-hour planning and writing a play and taking a further 15 – 20 minutes to ‘perform’ it, keeping in mind that it is designed for radio.

Each participant places their chair, in no particular order, around the room. The room should be cleared of tables and other furniture. Each person should sit on their chair, pointing in a different direction. Then, request one manager to volunteer and come to the front of the room. Their task is to walk slowly back to their empty chair and sit down.

If their chair is occupied, they can move to the next empty chair available and sit on it. However, everyone else has the task of stopping the volunteer from sitting down.

Only one person at a time can stand and move. No one can make two consecutive moves. A person cannot sit on the chair that they have just left. Once the activity begins, the room is required to be silent. No one is allowed to touch the volunteer.

Give the managers 2 minutes to come up with their strategy. After every round, the participants should discuss what happened and select a new volunteer for the next round. The team is given 2 minutes preparation time each round. It is important that the volunteer’s movement is kept at a slow walk.

At the conclusion of the activity, it is beneficial for the team to discuss the activity. They may reflect upon whether they need a leader, what made planning difficult, whether everyone agreed on the plan, and what would make the task easier.

9. Back to back drawing (Cohen, 2017)

Provide vector shapes on separate pieces of paper (they can be shapes of signs, objects or merely abstract shapes). Participants sit in pairs, back-to-back. Employee A is given a sheet of paper and a pen, and employee B is provided with one of the printed shapes.

The aim of the activity is for employee A to draw the shape relying only on verbal instructions from employee B. Person B cannot only tell the other person what the shape is – he/she is only able to provide directions about how to draw it, or to describe its uses. Each team has two 2 minutes to draw the shape.

10. ‘All Aboard’ (Stepshift, 2016).

Teams use various materials, for example, pieces of wood or mats, to build a pretend ‘boat’. All the participants must stand on the ‘boat’ at once. Then, pieces of the ‘boat’ should be removed. The team should still strive to stand in the diminished space on the ‘boat’. All Aboard can promote communication, problem-solving and critical thinking.

11. Body of words (Cohen, 2017)

Participants are divided into teams of between four and eight people, and each team elects one leader. To prepare the activity, record words that have one less letter than the number of people in the team (i.e., if there are five people in the team, a suitable word could be ‘book’ which has four letters). Randomly select a word, and then the teams have the task of making the word using only their bodies.

Each team member moves and bends their body to form a letter. The team leader can direct their team.

What stands out to me from this article is the complexity of leadership. This article demonstrates that even if one is not a ‘natural’ leader, there are plenty of activities that can promote leadership skills. Even children can develop leadership, and what’s more, have fun with activities at the same time.

What do you think espouses leadership? Do you think that there are people who might tend to be leaders more than others? Perhaps you have a story about a leadership activity you have participated in or delivered – I would dearly like to hear about your experiences.

Thank you for reading.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Leadership Exercises for free .

• ‘tony’ (2018). Leadership games and activities for middle school students . Retrieved from https://www.kidsactivties.net/leadership-games-activities-for-middle-school-students/
• Clark, Donald (2015). Leadership Styles Activity . Retrieved from www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/styles.html
• Cohen, Esther (2017). 31 Team building activities your team will actually love . Retrieved from https://www.workamajig.com/blog/team-building-activities
• Cserti, Robert (2018). 12 Effective leadership activities and games . Retrieved from https://www.sessionlab.com/blog/leadership-activities/
• Deputy (2018). 6 Impactful leadership activities to try at work . Retrieved from https://www.deputy.com/blog/6-impactful-leadership-activities-to-try-at-work
• Doyle, A. (2019). Top 10 leadership skills employers look for . Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-leadership-skills-2063782
• Edsys (2016). 1 0 Activities for teachers to grow leadership skills in children . Retrieved from https://www.edsys.in/10-activities-for-teachers-to-grow-leadership-skills-in-children/
• Flavin, B. (2018). 8 Leadership Experiences You Didn’t Know You Already Have . Retrieved from https://www.rasmussen.edu/student-experience/college-life/leadership-experience-you-didnt-know-you-already-have/
• Goyette, P.(2016). 3 Leadership activities that improve employee performance at all levels . Retrieved from https://www.eaglesflight.com/blog/3-leadership-activities-that-improve-employee-performance-at-all-levels
• Higgins, R. (2018). 5 Fun and Inspirational Leadership Workshop Ideas . Retrieved from https://www.eventbrite.com.au/blog/leadership-workshop-ideas-ds00
• Johnson-Gerard, M. (2017). Situational Leadership Games . Retrieved from https://bizfluent.com/list-6762581-situational-leadership-games.html
• Landau, P. (2018). The 9 best leadership games for skill development . Retrieved from https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/the-9-best-leadership-games
• Stapleton, S. (2018). Leadership activities for High School classrooms . Retrieved from https://classroom.synonym.com/leadership-activities-high-school-classrooms-7855904.html
• Stepshift (2016). Leadership Training Activities . Retrieved from https://www.stepshift.co.nz/blog/developing-team-performance-with-senior-leadership-teams/strategic-planning-with-an-independent-facilitator/leadership-training-activities.html
• The Pennsylvania State University (2012). I can be a leader! Leadership fun for children . Retrieved from https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/knowledge-areas/environment-curriculum/activities/all-activities/i-can-be-a-leader-leadership-fun-for-children
• Training Course Material (n.d.). Leadership and management activities . Retrieved from https://www.trainingcoursematerial.com/free-games-activities/leadership-and-management-activities

Share this article:

Article feedback

What our readers think.

This great. Thank you

Great ideas, thank you!

Thank you so much for providing such a useful list of activities to demonstrate and for such a varied target population. Innovative and attention-seeking exercises yet practical.

Thank you for posting this informative blog. keep sharing.

Too interesting for me to try all.

Great article! Having group activities Melbourne helps the team to enhance working together. I love how it brings people together and motivates employees to learn from each other.

Great activities. Thank you.

This is an excellent article for every manager and leader tn build successful leadership. Thank you.

Let us know your thoughts Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related articles

Contingency Theory: Mastering Leadership Flexibility

While most of us would recognize a great leader, few of us know what it takes to become one (Hill et al., 2022). And it’s [...]

Change Management: The Art of Positive Change

While change is a given for all modern organizations, it often fails due to its complexity and the resistance it faces (Dhiman & Marques, 2020). [...]

15 Best Leadership Books for Optimal Growth

When you think of leaders, who do you immediately think of? Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II, and Martin Luther King, Jr. may come [...]

Read other articles by their category

• Body & Brain (49)
• Coaching & Application (58)
• Compassion (25)
• Counseling (51)
• Emotional Intelligence (23)
• Gratitude (18)
• Grief & Bereavement (21)
• Happiness & SWB (40)
• Meaning & Values (26)
• Meditation (20)
• Mindfulness (44)
• Motivation & Goals (45)
• Optimism & Mindset (34)
• Positive CBT (29)
• Positive Communication (20)
• Positive Education (47)
• Positive Emotions (32)
• Positive Leadership (18)
• Positive Parenting (15)
• Positive Psychology (34)
• Positive Workplace (37)
• Productivity (17)
• Relationships (43)
• Resilience & Coping (37)
• Self Awareness (21)
• Self Esteem (38)
• Strengths & Virtues (32)
• Stress & Burnout Prevention (34)
• Theory & Books (46)
• Therapy Exercises (37)
• Types of Therapy (64)

• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

15 Leadership Clubs & Activities for High School Students

As leaders, teens can learn, collaborate, and grow. But leadership skills don’t just appear overnight, young people need the right extracurricular outlets to develop them. These 15 ideas for high school activities and clubs can help them discover new hobbies, expand on their interests, and become amazing leaders.

Taking on a leadership role can be incredibly empowering, but as the expression goes, it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. High school is a wonderful time to start a transformative journey that could shape their lives for years to come. 

Leadership activities for teens

To get things started, talk with your teen about their interests. There’s no question that leaders assume a lot of responsibility, and these responsibilities are a lot easier to shoulder if they’re doing something they love! That could be sports, STEM, the arts: there are possibilities for just about any hobby or extracurricular activity.

That said, high school is a wonderful time to audition for a play, even if they’ve never set foot on stage or try coding even if they’re a total newbie. Branching out can be very rewarding as well! (You can apply that same thinking to high school elective courses as well.)

So, check out these 15 ideas, encompassing both specific organizations and broad categories alike for launching leadership in high school and beyond. 

1. Future Business Leaders of America

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) is a nationwide organization and competition that focuses on business, entrepreneurship, and leadership skills. Teens can learn about real-world business principles and take on competitive challenges. Through FBLA, teens can lead their competition teams and even win scholarship opportunities. 

2. National Honor Society & National Merit Scholars

These organizations challenge high-achieving scholars to engage with their communities in meaningful ways. Both National Honor Society and National Merit Scholars combine leadership with academics in ways teens won’t find in the classroom alone. 

3. FIRST Robotics

Like sports teams, robotics teams provide ample opportunities for projects, competition, hard work, and learning to work together towards a common goal. FIRST Robotics is one of many national organizations that encourage teens to bring their STEM skills into a thrilling arena. Read more about joining a robotics team here ! 

4. Volunteer work

Nothing can inspire teens like a worthy cause. Talk with your teen about how they’d like to get involved with an advocacy organization. Volunteering can help change the world and expand a young person’s horizons in very meaningful ways. 

5. National STEM Honors Society

Yes, there’s an honors society just for STEM! National STEM Honors Society engages students with year-round enrichment, competitions, and ample opportunities to become a STEM leader within their communities.

6. Student publications

Whether it’s a school newspaper, yearbook, literary magazine, or YouTube channel, student publications offer plenty of project-based opportunities for kids to take a lead. If your child loves the written word, getting involved with their high school’s writing-centric extracurriculars is a great idea. 

Team captains and managers take on a tremendous leadership role. From building morale to developing strategy, organizing logistics, and so much more on and off the field, athletics are a tried and true way to build leadership and character. 

8. Community engagement 

Community organizations come in all shapes and sizes. Groups centered on the arts, the environment, politics, or a religious community can make a major impact. And by contributing to that impact, teens can show how they care for important issues. 

9. Jobs and internships

There are some lessons that can only be learned in the working world. By adding a job or internship to their resume, teens show they can take the lead with real-world responsibilities. Especially if your teen can demonstrate getting promoted or taking on more complex duties, having job experience on their resume could give them a real boost in applying for that dream college or internship. 

10. STEM competitions

On the local, regional, and national scale, STEM competitions provide techie enthusiasts with the chance to lead, practice teamwork, and innovate on STEM projects. If you’re ready to jump in, check out our comprehensive list of 2022 STEM competitions . 

11. Student government 

It’s a classic for good reason! To succeed in student government, teens need to practice public speaking, developing a platform, and motivating others to achieve mutual goals. And if this appeals to your student, they might also love Model UN , government on a grander, global scale.

12. Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts

These organizations offer a wealth of different leadership opportunities in the outdoors, in their communities, and in honing a wide variety of skills. The Girl Scouts Gold Award and Eagle Scout status, the two highest accolades the organizations offer, speak volumes about the leadership skills participants have built over many years, and they give kids something to work towards!

13. Visual and performing arts

Whether it’s from the director’s chair, with a curator’s eye, or a choreographer’s moves, there are plenty of leadership opportunities in the arts. If your teen loves to perform, they can grow other talents in helping bring a creative vision to life. 

14. Cultural and language-oriented organizations

Connecting with other cultures is a wonderful way to broaden teens’ perspectives. This can be done through food, language, the arts, travel and many other avenues. Involvement in cultural organization can be indicative of a young person’s ability to step outside of their comfort zone, a key quality in a great leader.

15. Speech, debate, and mock trial

If your child dreams of a career in a courtroom or from behind a podium, these types of extracurricular activities might be a great fit. Not only can public speaking, debate, and mock trial be a team-based competition, success in any of these activities requires a high level of planning and teamwork. 

Leadership means lifelong learning

Good leaders are very knowledgeable. Great leaders never stop learning. That’s half the fun of getting involved with enrichment activities! 

As your high school student grows as a leader, there are endless opportunities to learn from others, about the world around them, and even about themselves. And as they prepare for college , careers, and more, that mindset can be even more valuable than impressive additions to their resume! 

Featured Posts

Meet id tech.

Sign up for our emails to learn more about why iD Tech is #1 in STEM education! Be the first to hear about new courses, locations, programs, and partnerships–plus receive exclusive promotions! AI summer camps , coding classes for kids , and more!

Virginia started with iD Tech at the University of Denver in 2015 and has loved every minute since then! A former teacher by trade, she has a master's in education and loves working to embolden the next generation through STEM. Outside the office, you can usually find her reading a good book, struggling on a yoga mat, or exploring the Rocky Mountains. 

Related posts

• College Prep What is an Elective Class in High School? An elective class is a course outside of a school’s core curriculum that a student can select to take by personal choice. This is opposed to a requ
• The 10 Best Math Apps for Kids in 2022 The way students learn is changing. Just like in other aspects of 21st century life, the mobile device is front and center. Whether kids are using
• College Prep 7 College Essay Mistakes & How to Avoid Them College essays are stressful enough. And that blinking mouse cursor on a blank document screen never makes things easier!  In fact, this “st

iD Tech Privacy Policy

Id tech privacy policy publish date: 10/26/2023.

internalDrive, Inc. (“iD Tech”) respects your privacy and recognizes the importance of your personal information. We are committed to protecting your information through our compliance with this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy applies to all individuals who visit and/or use iD Tech/internalDrive, Inc.'s websites, services, and products that collect data and/or display these terms ("iD Sites & Services"). This Privacy Policy describes the types of information we may collect when you visit an iD Tech website, open an account or receive iD Tech Services and our practices for using, maintaining, protecting and disclosing that information. 

All references to "us," "we," or "our" refer to iD Tech/internalDrive, Inc.

All references to "child" or "children" refer to children  under the age of 13.

By accessing or otherwise using any of our iD Sites & Services, you consent to the terms contained in this privacy statement, including the collection, use, and disclosure of data as described below.

California Residents:  iD Tech’s  PRIVACY NOTICE FOR CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS  supplements the information contained in this Privacy Policy and applies solely to visitors, users, and others who reside in the State of California.

I.   Information We May Ask You To Provide

Through our iD Sites & Services, we collect information about you and/or your student when you choose to provide it to us. For example, we collect information from you so you can use iD Sites & Services, purchase products and services, register for and obtain an account, request information, apply for a job, register for one of our programs, or verify your age. In general, we may ask you to provide us with the following types of information about you and/your student:

• Contact information such as name, email address, mailing address, phone numbers (note to parents/guardians of children: if we have actual knowledge that a user is under 13 years old, the child will be asked to have their parent or guardian continue the registration process);
• Month, day, and year of birth;
• Gender preference;
• Course interests;
• Billing information such as credit card number and billing address;
• User names to third-party systems (for example, Facebook);
• Information provided on forums or chat rooms within our iD Sites & Services (note to parents/guardians of children: forums and chat rooms permit a child user to enter comments through which the child could provide personal information that would be visible to other users);
• Information included in résumés and job applications; and
• Health, any participation limitations or needs, immunization and allergy information.

Note to Parents/Guardians : We only collect the information described above, from someone we know to be a child, after the child's parent or guardian provides us with verifiable consent, unless one of the limited exceptions discussed below applies. For more information and/or to review these limited exceptions, please see the " Our Commitment to Children’s Privacy " section below. II.   Information Collected Automatically Cookies and other Tracking Technologies We may use cookies, web beacons, pixel tags, log files, Local Storage Objects, or other technologies to collect certain information about visitors to and users of iD Sites & Services, such as the date and time you visit iD Sites & Services, the areas or pages of iD Sites & Services that you visit, the amount of time you spend viewing or using iD Sites & Services, the number of times you return to iD Sites & Services, other click-stream or usage data, and emails that you open, forward or click through to iD Sites & Services. For example, we may automatically collect certain information, such as the type of web browser and operating system you use, the name of your Internet Service Provider, Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, software version, and the domain name from which you accessed our iD Sites & Services. We use this information to monitor and improve our iD Sites & Services, support the internal operations of our iD Sites & Services, personalize your online experience, verify e-signatures, and for internal analysis.

We may also use cookies, web beacons, and other similar technologies from third party partners such as Google for measurement services, better targeting advertisements and for marketing purposes.  These cookies, web beacons, and other similar technologies allow us to display our promotional material to you on other sites you visit across the internet.  Our third-party advertising partners may also use these technologies to identify your browsing interests over time and across different websites to deliver targeted advertisements. 

iD Sites & Services do not recognize “Do Not Track” headers or similar mechanisms.

iD Tech partners with Rakuten Advertising, who may collect personal information when you interact with our site. The collection and use of this information is subject to Rakuten’s privacy policy located at  https://rakutenadvertising.com/legal-notices/services-privacy-policy/ . Our Sites & Services may also use other third-party plug-ins to provide additional services and benefits. These third parties may collect information about you as well. When we use a third-party plug-in we will attempt to provide you with the identify the plug-in, so you can visit the sites of the third-parties to view the privacy policy under which the information they collect is identified and controlled. 

We may also collect geolocation information from your device so we can customize your experience on our iD Sites & Services. In most cases, you are able to turn off such data collection at any time by accessing the privacy settings of your device and/or through the settings in the applicable GPS application. Social Media You also can engage with our content, and other offerings, on or through social media services or other third-party platforms, such as Facebook, or other third-party social media plug-ins, integrations and applications. When you engage with our content on or through social media services or other third-party platforms, plug-ins, integrations or applications, you may allow us to have access to certain information in your profile. This may include your name, email address, photo, gender, birthday, location, an ID associated with the applicable third-party platform or social media account user files, like photos and videos, your list of friends or connections, people you follow and/or who follow you, or your posts or "likes." For a description on how social media services and other third-party platforms, plug-ins, integrations, or applications handle your information, please refer to their respective privacy policies and terms of use, which may permit you to modify your privacy settings.

When we interact with you through our content on third-party websites, applications, integrations or platforms, we may obtain any information regarding your interaction with that content, such as content you have viewed, and information about advertisements within the content you have been shown or may have clicked on. Information from Third Party Services We may also obtain other information, including personal information, from third parties and combine that with information we collect through our Websites. For example, we may have access to certain information from a third-party social media or authentication service if you log in to our Services through such a service or otherwise provide us with access to information from the service. Any access that we may have to such information from a third-party social media or authentication service is in accordance with the authorization procedures determined by that service. If you authorize us to connect with a third-party service, we will access and store your name, email address(es), current city, profile picture URL, and other personal information that the third party service makes available to us, and use and disclose it in accordance with this Policy. You should check your privacy settings on these third-party services to understand and change the information sent to us through these services. For example, you can log in to the Services using single sign-in services such as Facebook Connect or an Open ID provider.

III.    Your Ability To Control Cookies And Similar Technologies As noted, we may use cookies or similar technologies to monitor and improve iD Sites & Services, support the internal operations of iD Sites & Services, personalize your online experience, support the e-signature process, and/or for internal analysis. This includes the use of third-party cookies. We use these technologies to keep track of how you are using our iD Sites & Services and to remember certain pieces of general information. 

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. Check the “Tools” or “Help” tab on your browser to learn how to change your cookie and other tracking preferences.

If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the functions of iD Sites & Services and/or some of our services will function improperly, in particular the inability to log in or manage items in your shopping cart. We do not share cookie data with any third parties. IV.   How We May Use Your Information We may use the information we collect from and about you and/or your student for any of the following purposes:

• Allow you to register yourself or your student with iD Sites & Services, or to otherwise register and open an account with us;
• Allow you and/or your student to use iD Sites & Services;
• Fulfill orders, process payments, and prevent transactional fraud;
• Respond to your or your student’s requests or inquiries;
• Provide you or your student with information about our products and services;
• Consider you for employment or a volunteer opportunity;
• Register you or your student in one of our programs;
• Verify your student's age;
• Monitor and improve iD Sites & Services, support the internal operations of iD Sites & Services, personalize your online experience, and for internal analysis;
• Protect the security or integrity of iD Sites & Services and our business;
• Facilitate the sale or potential sale of our business or any of our assets; or
• As required by law.

V.   How We Share Information We do not sell or otherwise share your or your student’s information with any third parties, except for the limited purposes described below. Parents/guardians of children under the age of 13 have the option of consenting to the collection and use of their child's personal information without consenting to the disclosure of that information to certain third parties.  

1.   Law Enforcement And Safety

We may access, preserve, and/or disclose the information we collect and/or content you and/or your student/child provides to us (including information posted on our forums) to a law enforcement agency or other third parties if required to do so by law or with a good faith belief that such access, preservation, or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (i) comply with legal process; (ii) enforce the Terms and Conditions of iD Sites & Services; (iii) respond to claims that the content violates the rights of third parties; or (iv) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of the owners or users of iD Sites & Services, a third party, or the general public. We also may disclose information whenever we believe disclosure is necessary to limit our legal liability; to protect or defend our rights or property; or protect the safety, rights, or property of others.  2.   Service Providers; Colleges and Universities Information collected through iD Sites & Services may be transferred, disclosed, or shared with third parties engaged by us to handle and deliver certain activities, such as housing, meals, payment processing, mail/email distribution, software providers, and to perform other technical and processing functions, such as maintaining data integrity, programming operations, user services, or technology services. We may provide these third parties’ information collected as needed to perform their functions, but they are prohibited from using it for other purposes and specifically agree to maintain the confidentiality of such information. Some of these providers, such as payment processors, may request additional information during the course of offering their services. Before you provide additional information to third-party providers, we encourage you to review their privacy policies and information collection practices. 3.    Business Transfer During the normal course of our business, we may sell or purchase assets. If another entity may acquire and/or acquires us or any of our assets, information we have collected about you may be transferred to such entity. In addition, if any bankruptcy or reorganization proceeding is brought by or against us, such information may be considered an asset of ours and may be sold or transferred to third parties. Should a sale or transfer occur, we will use reasonable efforts to try to require that the transferee use personal information provided through our iD Sites & Services in a manner that is consistent with this privacy statement. VI.            Our Commitment To Children’s Privacy Protecting the privacy of children is paramount. We understand that users and visitors of our iD Sites & Services who are under 13 years of age need special safeguards and privacy protection. It is our intent to fully comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). 

Our iD Sites & Services are intended for general audiences. We do not knowingly permit anyone under 13 years of age to provide us with personal information without obtaining a parent's or guardian’s verifiable consent, except where:

• the sole purpose of collecting the name or online contact information of a parent or child is to provide notice and obtain parental consent;
• the purpose of collecting a parent’s online contact information is to provide voluntary notice to, and subsequently update the parent about, the child’s participation in our iD Sites & Services that do not otherwise collect, use, or disclose childrens' personal information;
• the sole purpose of collecting online contact information from a child is to respond directly on a one-time basis to a specific request from the child, and where such information is not used to re-contact the child or for any other purpose, is not disclosed, and is deleted by us promptly after responding to the child’s request;
• the purpose of collecting a child’s and a parent’s online contact information is to respond directly more than once to the child’s specific request, and where such information is not used for any other purpose, disclosed, or combined with any other information collected from the child;
• the purpose of collecting a child’s and a parent’s name and online contact information, is to protect the safety of a child, and where such information is not used or disclosed for any purpose unrelated to the child’s safety;
• we collect a persistent identifier and no other personal information and such identifier is used for the sole purpose of providing support for the internal operations of iD Sites & Services; or
• otherwise permitted or required by law.

If we receive the verifiable consent of a child's parent or guardian to collect, use, and/or disclose the child's information, we will only collect, use, and disclose the information as described in this privacy statement. Some features of our iD Sites & Services permit a child user to enter comments, such as forums and chat rooms, through which the child could provide personal information that would be visible to other users. If you are the parent or guardian of a child user, please advise your child of the risks of posting personal information on this iD Sites & Services or any other site. VII.           Parental/Guardian Rights If you are a parent or guardian, you can review or have deleted your child's personal information, and refuse to permit further collection or use of your child's information. To exercise any of these rights, please email us at  [email protected] or send your request to:

iD Tech ∙ PO Box 111720 ∙ Campbell, CA 950011 Client Service Toll Free Number: 1-888-709-8324

VIII.         Restrictions On Child Users Children under 13 years of age are prevented from accessing areas of iD Sites & Services which include, but are not restricted to, client account information, unless approved by their parent or guardian and any course content defined as age inappropriate by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). IX.            Forums And Chats We may offer forums and chat rooms. Please be aware that anyone may read postings on a forum or in a chat room. Furthermore, any information which is posted to a forum or chat room could include personal information, which would be disclosed and available to all users of that forum or chat room, and is therefore no longer private. We cannot guarantee the security of information that any user discloses or communicates online in public areas such as forums and chat rooms. Those who do so, do so at their own risk. We reserve the right to monitor the content of the forums and chat rooms. If age-inappropriate content or potentially identifiable information is seen, it may be removed or edited by us for security, privacy, and/or legal reasons. We will not republish postings from forums or chat rooms anywhere on the Web. X.             Links And Third Parties

At our discretion, we may include or offer third-party websites, products, and services on iD Sites & Services. These third-party sites, products, and services have separate and independent privacy policies. You should consult the respective privacy policies of these third parties. We have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of linked sites, products, or services.

Our iD Sites & Services may contain links to other third-party websites, chat rooms, or other resources that we provide for your convenience. These sites are not under our control, and we are not responsible for the content available on other sites. Such links do not imply any endorsement of material on our part and we expressly disclaim all liability with regard to your access to such sites. Access to any other websites linked to from iD Sites & Services is at your own risk.  

XI.             Legal Basis for processing Personal Data and Your Data Protection Rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), iD Tech’s legal basis for collecting and using your personal information as described in this policy depends on the personal Data we collect and the context in which we collect it.  ID Tech may process your personal data:

• To provide the services which you requested or purchased;
• Because you have given us permission to do so;
• To provide you with better services, including conducting audits and data analysis;
• For payment processing;
• For marketing; and 
• To comply with the law

You have certain data protection rights. iD Tech aims to take reasonable steps to allow you to correct, amend, delete or limit the use of your Personal Data.

If you wish to be informed about what Personal Data we hold about you and if you want it to be removed from our systems, please contact us at  [email protected] .

In certain circumstances, you have the following data protection rights:

• The right to access, update, or delete the information we have on you. Whenever made possible, you can access, update, or request deletion of your Personal Data directly within your account settings section. If you are unable to perform these actions yourself, please contact us to assist you.
• The right to have your information corrected if that information is inaccurate or incomplete.
• The right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your Personal Data.
• The right of restriction. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information.
• The right to data portability. You have the right to be provided with a copy of the information we have on you in a structured, machine-readable, and commonly used format.
• The right to withdraw consent. You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time where iD Tech relied on your consent to process your personal information.

Please note that we may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such requests.

You have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority about our collection and use of your Personal Data. For more information, please contact your local data protection authority in the European Economic Area (EEA). XII.           International Visitors  (non GDPR Locations) Our iD Sites & Services are operated and managed on servers located in the United States. If you choose to use our iD Sites & Services from the European Union or other regions of the world with laws governing data collection and uses that differ from the United States, then you recognize and agree that you are transferring your personal information outside of those regions to the United States and you consent to that transfer. XIII.          Data Security Commitment To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place reasonable physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect. We also use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol on your account information and registration pages to protect sensitive personal information. Sensitive data is encrypted on our iD Sites & Services and when stored on the servers.

XIV. How You Can Access, Request A Copy, Correct, Or Ask For Information To Be Deleted Access to certain personal Information that is collected from our Services and that we maintain may be available to you. For example, if you created a password-protected account within our Service, you can access that account to review the information you provided.

You may also send an email or letter to the following email or call the number provided to ask for a copy, correction, or ask us to delete your personal Information. Please include your registration information for such services, such as first name, last name, phone, and email address in the request. We may ask you to provide additional information for identity verification purposes or to verify that you are in possession of an applicable email account. Email: [email protected] Phone: 1-888-709-8324 XV. How To Contact Us/Opting Out Of Electronic Communications If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or if you have provided your email and/or address and prefer not to receive marketing information, please contact us via email or call at the number provided below.  Make sure you provide your name as well as the email(s) and address(es) you wish to have removed. 

If you have signed up to receive text messages from us and no longer wish to receive such messages, you may call or email us at the address provided below. Please provide your name, account email, and the number(s) you want removed. Email: [email protected] Phone: 1-888-709-8324 XVI.         Terms And Conditions Your use of our iD Sites & Services and any information you provide on our iD Sites & Services are subject to the terms of the internalDrive, Inc. (referred to as “iD Tech”) Terms and Conditions. XVII.         Privacy Statement Changes We will occasionally amend this privacy statement. We reserve the right to change, modify, add, or remove portions of this statement at any time. If we materially change our use of your personal information, we will announce such a change on relevant iD Sites & Services and will also note it in this privacy statement. The effective date of this privacy statement is documented at the beginning of the statement. If you have any questions about our privacy statement, please contact us in writing at [email protected] or by mail at PO Box 111720, Campbell, CA 95011. XVIII.          Your Credit Card Information And Transactions For your convenience, you may have us bill you or you can pay for your orders by credit card. If you choose to pay by credit card, we will keep your credit card information on file, but we do not display that information at the online registration site. For your security, your credit card security number is not stored in our system.

We use state-of-the-art Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology to safeguard and protect your personal information and transactions over the Internet. Your information, including your credit card information, is encrypted and cannot be read as it travels over the Internet. XIX.         Social Networking Disclaimer iD Tech provides several opportunities for social networking for both participants and staff on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube. These sites are not affiliated with iD Tech and offer their own individual social networking services. Please read the following Terms and Conditions carefully, as well as the Terms and Conditions of the sites in which iD Tech has created a forum ("Group"). These Terms and Conditions are a legal agreement between you and iD Tech and apply to you whether you are a visitor to these sites or any site with an official iD Tech affiliation. iD Tech is a member of several pre-existing sites (as mentioned above). There may be, however, portions of  www.iDTech.com  that include areas where participants can post submissions. Any of the above-mentioned "Sites" (or other similar sites) have their own distinct rules and regulations. iD Tech reserves the right to take action to remove any content deemed inappropriate by the sites or by iD Tech standards. iD Tech will not be held liable for any loss of content or disagreements that may arise between the individual social networking site and the user. You understand that by registering for an iD Tech program, your participant(s) may access and upload content to social networking sites. In order to access certain features of the social networking sites or pages on iDTech.com, and to post Member Submissions, the majority of these sites require that the user open an account with them. Please note that these sites have their own individual Terms and Conditions that must be followed. Age requirements are outlined within each Site's Terms and Conditions. You hereby authorize your participant to access social networking sites while at camp and create an account if they choose to do so and if they meet the requirements listed by each site to create an account. Interaction with other users:

• iD Tech is merely providing a medium in which to socialize online with fellow participants. Users are solely responsible for interactions (including any disputes) with other Members and any volunteers that may advise and assist participants with projects and activities via your use of the iD Site & Services.
• You understand that iD Tech does not in any way screen Members or review or police: (i) statements made by Members in their Member Submissions or the Member Submissions in general; or (ii) statements made by Users or any information a User may provide via the iD Site & Services.
• You understand that your participant(s) is solely responsible for, and will exercise caution, discretion, common sense, and judgment in using the various iD Sites & Services and disclosing personal information to other Members or Users. 
• On behalf of your participant(s), you agree that they will take reasonable precautions in all interactions with other Members, particularly if they decide to meet a Member offline or in person.
• Your participant's use of the social networking sites with which iD Tech is affiliated, their services, and/or Content and Member Submissions, is at your sole risk and discretion and iD Tech hereby disclaims any and all liability to you or any third party relating thereto.
• On behalf of your participant(s), you agree that they will not harass, threaten, intimidate, bully, stalk, or invade the privacy of any individual in connection with your use of the social networking sites with which iD Tech is affiliated and their services, whether or not an individual is an iD Tech Member; and you further agree not to advocate such activities or to encourage others to engage in any such activities.
• On behalf of your participant(s), you agree they will not give their social networking information to an iD Tech staff member.
• You and your participant(s) should also be aware that under no circumstances are iD Tech employees allowed to give personal contact information for social networking sites. This must be arranged by the participant's parent/guardian through the People Services Department.

XX.        Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy: You agree that you and your participant will not use the social networking sites to offer, display, distribute, transmit, route, provide connections to, or store any material that infringes copyrighted works, trademarks, or service marks or otherwise violates or promotes the violation of the intellectual property rights of any third party. internalDrive, Inc. has adopted and implemented a policy that provides for the termination in appropriate circumstances of the accounts of users who repeatedly infringe or are believed to be or are charged with repeatedly infringing the intellectual property or proprietary rights of others. XXI.       Disclaimer:   BY USING THE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES OR SUBMITTING A MEMBER SUBMISSION, YOU AGREE THAT INTERNALDRIVE, INC. IS NOT RESPONSIBLE, AND WILL IN NO EVENT BE HELD LIABLE, FOR ANY: (A) LOST, ILLEGIBLE, MISDIRECTED, DAMAGED, OR INCOMPLETE MEMBER SUBMISSIONS; (B) COMPUTER OR NETWORK MALFUNCTION OR ERROR; (C) COMMUNICATION DISRUPTION OR OTHER DISRUPTIONS RELATED TO INTERNET TRAFFIC, A VIRUS, BUG, WORM, OR NON-AUTHORIZED INTERVENTION; OR (D) DAMAGE CAUSED BY A COMPUTER VIRUS OR OTHERWISE FROM YOUR ACCESS TO THE SITE OR SERVICES. THE SITE, SERVICES, INTERNALDRIVE, INC., CONTENT, AND MEMBER SUBMISSIONS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITH NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. INTERNALDRIVE, INC. AND ITS SUPPLIERS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE SITE, SERVICES, INTERNALDRIVE, INC., CONTENT AND MEMBER SUBMISSIONS, WHETHER THE PROVISION OF SERVICES OR YOUR SUBMISSION OF A MEMBER SUBMISSION WILL PRODUCE ANY LEVEL OF PROFIT OR BUSINESS FOR YOU OR LEAD TO ECONOMIC BENEFIT, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF QUALITY, AVAILABILITY, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN ADDITION, INTERNALDRIVE, INC. MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY THAT THE SITE OR SERVICES WILL BE ERROR FREE OR THAT ANY ERRORS WILL BE CORRECTED. SOME STATES OR JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES. ACCORDINGLY, SOME OF THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. XXII.         Indemnification:   You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold iD Tech, its officers, directors, employees, and agents, harmless from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, arising out of or in any way connected with: (i) your access to or use of social networking sites, their services, iD Tech Content and Member Submissions; (ii) your violation of these Terms of Use; (iii) your violation of any third-party right, including, without limitation, any intellectual property right, publicity, confidentiality, property, or privacy right; or (iv) any claim that one of your Member Submissions caused damage to a third party or infringed or violated any third-party intellectual property right, publicity, confidentiality, property, or privacy right.

iD Tech Terms & Conditions

Id tech general terms & conditions publish date: october 26, 2023.

These Terms and Conditions apply to all pages found at www.idtech.com  and all Programs operated by internalDrive, Inc. (referred to as "iD Tech") including but not limited to iD Tech In-Person programs and iD Tech Online Programs. These terms apply to all lessons, classes, courses, and options offered by iD Tech (hereinafter referred to individually as “Program” or collectively “Programs”).

Privacy Policy: By using iD Tech’s website, registering you or your student for a Program, and/or affirmatively giving your agreement, you are agreeing on your own behalf and that of your student to abide and be bound by the Privacy Policy found HERE and the Terms and Conditions contained and referenced herein.

Online Programs: If you are purchasing, or you or your student is participating in an Online Program you also agree on your own behalf and on behalf of your student, to be bound by the additional terms and conditions found HERE .

On-Campus Programs: If you are purchasing, or you or your student is participating in, an On-Campus Program, you also agree on your own behalf and on behalf of your student to be bound by the additional terms and conditions found HERE .

I. Code of Conduct

To promote the best learning environment possible, all students and parents will be held to this Code of Conduct. Failure to comply with this Code of Conduct or engaging in actions or attitudes that seem to be harmful to the atmosphere, other participants, or staff, in the opinion of iD Tech can lead to removal from a Program or Program(s). iD Tech reserves the right to dismiss students from a Program and prevent a student from attending additional Programs without any prior warning for (1) violating any of the terms of this code of conduct, or (2) if iD Tech determines that a Program is not a suitable and/or productive environment for a student (this includes incidents in which a student does not have sufficient English language skills to participate in the Program; participation in courses requires a high level of English understanding). Refunds will not be given for students dismissed for failure of the student or the parent to abide by the Code of Conduct, or if it is determined that a Program is not suitable for a student. While iD Tech strives to maintain excellent relationships with students, in some rare cases, we may determine that iD Tech is not a compatible environment for every student.

Students and parents/guardians may NEVER:

• Disrupt, bully, intimidate, or harass others;
• Use inappropriate language (for example, students cannot use of swear or curse words, racial, gendered, homophobic/transphobic, stereotypical, or culturally insensitive words, even if done in a joking manner);
• View, display or post any inappropriate material (including sexual content, material depicting inappropriate violence, racism, bullying, etc.) during a Program;
• Share Program information (including lesson plans, etc.) with third-parties, without permission from iD Tech;
• Impersonate another person; or
• Contact instructors outside of the Program.

Students also may NEVER:

• Engage in Internet hacking;
• Create an account on or log into third-party websites without the permission of their instructor;
• Use false information to create an account on or log into third-party websites;
• Share personal information with staff members or ask staff members for their personal information;
• Share or create video or audio recordings of iD Tech staff or another student without the permission of iD Tech.

Students and parents/guardians MUST:

• Follow directions/instructions of iD Tech personnel;
• If online, ensure the student attends the Program in an appropriate, private setting;
• Dress appropriately during the Program;
• Adhere to the terms of use of any sites used, including following the specified age policies; and
• Only share material that is related to lessons and appropriate.

II. Age Policy

iD Tech offers Programs for students ages 7-19. Therefore, students may interact and/or room with a student that is within this age range including 18 or 19 years old. Please note the age range of the Program being registered for.

If a student is 18 or 19 years old and participating in an On-Campus Program, they must successfully pass a criminal and sexual offender background check prior to being allowed to attend. Clients are responsible for all costs and fees associated with any background checks required for a student to attend.

III. Special Accommodations

If a student requires an accommodation to participate, or needs an aid to attend in an iD Tech Program, a parent/guardian must call iD Tech at 1-888-709-8324, no less than three weeks prior to your student’s first day of the Program to make needed arrangements.

If a student requires an aide to participate in an iD Tech Program, the aide must be age 18 or older, may not be a family member, and if it is an On -Campus Program, the aide must successfully pass a criminal and sexual offender background check prior ro being allowed to attend with the student. Aides may also be subject to fingerprinting. Clients are responsible for all direct costs, including background check processing fees, parking, and compensation for the aide’s attendance.

IV. Payment Policy

• Unless otherwise noted, all financial transactions are made and quoted in U.S. Dollars.
• All Payment Plan Fees, fees paid for Online Programs, and the $250 per week deposit for On-Campus Programs are non-refundable and non-transferrable.
• Other than if iD Tech needs to cancel a class, there are no refunds, credits or replacement days for classes missed. If iD Tech needs to cancel a class, iD Tech will either provide you a pro rata credit or reschedule the canceled class(es).
• If iD Tech cancels an entire Program for any reason, the fees paid for the Program will be refunded, less the non-refundable fees, as set out above. Non-refundable fees (other than the Payment Plan Fee, if any) will remain in your account as a fully transferable credit that is valid for three (3) years.
• iD Tech has the right to charge a $25 late fee on any payments not paid by the due date. For balances that are over 30 (thirty) days past due, iD Tech has the right to charge a 1% monthly finance charge and send the balance to a collection agency for collection (collection agency and legal fees may apply).
• All fees (registration, administrative, late, etc.) must be paid prior to the start of a Program, unless a payment plan has been agreed to. Students will be withdrawn from a Program if the Program has not been paid in full prior to the start of the Program, or if at any time a payment is not paid by the due date. No refunds, credits, or make-up classes will be provided if a session is missed due to a delinquent payment.
• By agreeing to a subscription or payment plan, you are authorizing iD Tech to auto charge the credit card on file as agreed at the time of purchase and as set out in My Account.
• A $35 returned check fee will be assessed for any checks returned or card transactions that are not honored.

V. Reservation Changes

To provide outstanding Programs, we may have to limit your ability to make changes (such as registering for a different course or changing attendance dates) and/or cancel a Program. Please reference the Terms and Conditions for specific Programs (linked above) for the rules and restrictions for changes and cancellations for that Program.

VI. Promotions and Discounts

Promotional discounts are limited to one discount per student. There may be other limitations as to how they apply, and codes must be submitted at the time of registration. iD Tech will not honor retroactive adjustments, and the total discounts received cannot exceed the total cost of the products purchased.

The Refer-a-Friend Program is a voluntary Program that applies to Small Group Classes and In-Person Programs.

• Each Referral Code can be used a maximum of 10 times. The code can only be used by students attending iD Tech for the first time (may be limited to certain Programs) and must be applied at the time of registration.
• A tuition credit will be given for each new student that registers for an In-Person Program or Small Group Class using a referral code and attends the course for which they registered.
• The Refer-a-Friend Program does not apply to siblings.
• Students may not refer each other to both qualify for the Refer-a-Friend Discount.
• Tuition credit will be applied after the referred client registers, pays in full and attends the Program. If the referred friend cancels his/her Program, the credit will be removed, and you will be responsible for any account balance that is created as a result of the lost credit.
• All tuition credits must be used in the Program term in which they are earned, can be used to offset Program tuition and other fees incurred, but do not entitle you to any form of payment.
• Tuition credits have no cash value.

VII. Certificates/Vouchers

All certificates/vouchers are non-refundable, non-transferable, and not redeemable for cash. Certificates/vouchers must be redeemed at the time of registration. Certificates/vouchers are valid until the specified expiration date, without exception. They are valid for up to the amount issued, and any amounts not used are forfeited.

VIII. General Releases

• Media Release: As a condition of participation, you authorize iD Tech and its partners to take photos, videos, images, audio, and testimonials of and/or from you and your student and agree that said content may be used by iD Tech in promotional materials, marketing collateral, and online media. These images, testimonials, photos, videos, and audio may be shared and used by corporate partners, the media, or other organizations that work with iD Tech. You also agree that all projects and work created by your student during an iD Tech Program may be used by iD Tech in promotional materials, online, and other print media, and may be shared and used by corporate partners, the media, or other organizations that work with iD Tech. You understand that iD Tech, its owners, agents, partners, facility providers, and employees will not be held liable for damages and injuries associated with use of any content released herein, including any and all claims based on negligence. You agree that all images, testimonials, photos, video, and audio taken at or in connection with an iD Tech Program are the sole and exclusive property of iD Tech, and that iD Tech has a royalty-free, perpetual license to use copies of all student work and projects created at an iD Tech Program.
• Name and Likeness Release: As a condition of participation, you authorize iD Tech and the press to use your student's full name and likeness in print, radio, TV, and other mediums.
• Project/Hardware Release: Some iD Tech Programs are project-based. In such instances, iD Tech will attempt to provide your student with the knowledge to produce a working project. Some iD Tech Programs include take home hardware. In those instances, iD Tech will send home a product or voucher for a product. However, there will be instances when a project or product or product voucher cannot be sent home, posted, or delivered, and you agree that iD Tech is not responsible if the game, project, product or voucher does not work properly and/or is not compatible with outside systems. You release iD Tech from any responsibility for failure to provide a copy of the project or product voucher, or a non-functioning/non-compatible/non-complete game, project, product voucher or product. Refunds will not be issued for not receiving products, product vouchers, or being provided a copy of the project, and/or non-functioning/non-compatible/non-complete projects, product vouchers or products. If you have issues with a product voucher or product, you must contact the manufacturer directly. Product vouchers only cover shipping within the continental U.S. Therefore, if you require the product to be shipped outside the continental US, you are responsible for all shipping and handling costs.
• Software Accounts: Some iD Tech Program activities require creation and/or use of an online account or require an online account to be created for your student. You consent to create or have iD Tech create account(s) as needed for your student to participate in Program activities. During non-instructional time, students may have access to websites that require accounts to be set up. While it is against iD Tech rules for students to set up accounts without their instructor’s permission, there may be instances where a student may create an account without the knowledge of iD Tech or its employees. In such instances, you release iD Tech and its employees from any and all responsibility and liability for accounts created by your student without iD Tech’s knowledge.
• Game Ratings: iD Tech takes its corporate responsibility and iD Tech family values very seriously. However, we cannot guarantee that younger students at iD Tech will avoid all contact with or mention of games rated "T" for Teen, or "M" for Mature. iD Tech will make a concerted effort to minimize both direct and indirect exposure to any games not rated for a student’s age group. Students attending courses designed for older ages have a greater chance of being exposed to materials rated for that older age group. If a student is attending a course for ages 13+, they may be exposed to games rated "M" for Mature by the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board). You voluntarily assume any and all risks, known or unknown, associated with your student’s exposure to game content at an iD Tech Program.

IX. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold internalDrive, Inc.,iD Tech, its officers, directors, employees, and agents, harmless from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, arising out of or in any way connected with your student’s participation in an iD Tech Program.

X. Arbitration Agreement

You agree that any dispute other than collection matters, arising out of or relating to this Agreement, you or your student's participation in a Program with internalDrive, Inc., or otherwise arising between the parties, including, without limitation, any statutorily created or protected rights, as permitted by applicable state/provincial or federal laws, shall be settled by arbitration to be held in Santa Clara County, California, in accordance with the Commercial Rules of the American Arbitration Association, and judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrator(s) may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. The prevailing party in the arbitration shall be entitled to recover expenses including costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees associated therewith. Should any part of this contract be found invalid or not enforceable by a court of law, then the remaining portion shall continue to be valid and in force. You hereby acknowledge that you understand the terms of this ARBITRATION AGREEMENT, and you agree to comply with all of its terms and provisions.

XI. Rights Reserved

internalDrive, Inc. reserves the right to update or modify these Terms and Conditions at any time. iD Tech is not a university-sponsored program. iD Tech reserves the right to cancel or modify any and all classes, lessons, Programs or courses for any reason.

XII. Release of Liability

ON BEHALF OF MY SON/DAUGHTER/WARD, I, THE PARENT/GUARDIAN, IN EXCHANGE FOR THE RIGHT OF MY SON/DAUGHTER/WARD TO PARTICIPATE IN ID TECH PROGRAM(S), HEREBY RELEASE INTERNALDRIVE, INC., ITS OWNERS, AGENTS, PARTNERS, FACILITY PROVIDERS, AND EMPLOYEES FROM LIABILITY (INCLUDING CLAIMS BASED UPON NEGLIGENCE) FOR ANY AND ALL DAMAGES OR INJURIES TO MY SON/DAUGHTER/WARD OR DAMAGE OF ANY PERSONAL PROPERTY. I AGREE TO BE FULLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY AND ALL SUCH DAMAGES OR INJURIES WHICH MAY RESULT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY FROM ANY NEGLIGENT ACTS OR ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH INTERNALDRIVE, INC. HOWEVER, I UNDERSTAND THAT I AM NOT RELEASING INTERNALDRIVE, INC., ITS OWNERS, AGENTS, PARTNERS, FACILITY PROVIDERS, AND EMPLOYEES FROM GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR INTENTIONALLY TORTIOUS CONDUCT. TO THE EXTENT THIS RELEASE CONFLICTS WITH STATE/PROVINCIAL LAW GOVERNING RELEASES, THIS RELEASE IS TO BE GIVEN THE FULLEST FORCE AND EFFECT PERMITTED UNDER STATE/PROVINCIAL LAW. SHOULD ANY PART OF THIS CONTRACT BE FOUND INVALID OR NOT ENFORCEABLE BY A COURT OF LAW, THEN THE REMAINING PORTION SHALL CONTINUE TO BE VALID AND IN FORCE. XIII. Copyright

iD Tech partners with and uses the intellectual property of some amazing companies. You and your student agree to uphold the copyright and trademark rights of iD Tech, their partners, and any company whose products are used at an iD Tech Program.

10 Leadership Activities for High School Students

Today we'll share some leadership activities for high school students. High school is the perfect time for students to gain leadership skills and life skills that will support them on their academic and professional journeys. Leadership is one of the most desired soft skills among employers hiring today and effective leaders help any team or organization improve. Leadership skills do not grow on trees, however, and while some kids are naturally good at bossing other kids around, that’s not what makes a good leader. Leaders do not need to be commanding, extraverted, or aggressive. In fact these qualities can have a negative impact, especially on large, diverse teams with complex goals.

Explore leadership activities for high school students

Good leaders are supportive, great listeners and communicators, and they lead through empathy and mutual respect. Great leaders are open minded and they take risks, which means trying new things, developing self awareness, and actively listening to others. This might sound complicated, but like any skill, leadership can be taught.

Which is why we put together this list of leadership activities for high school students to help you guide your teens toward activities which suit them. Some of them are more traditional, like the National Honors Society and the Future Business Leaders of America. But if you keep reading you might be surprised by some of the fun ways that high school students can learn how to become great leaders!

1. Tutoring and Volunteering

Great teachers make great learners in their students, but they are also great at learning themselves. In fact, studies have shown that when we learn something with the intention of teaching it to others, we learn more effectively than when studying for examinations or for personal enjoyment. Good leaders need to train and support their teams, and they are great at sharing their knowledge with others. They are also themselves eager to learn, and a good leader will be honest when they do not know something.

While some people in positions of power consider it embarrassing to make a mistake or not know something, a good leader will ask a lot of questions, remain honest with themselves, and work hard to fill in the gaps of their knowledge. For students with skills in one or more subjects, they can refine and reinforce their skills by tutoring younger students and those who are struggling.

Tutoring is a great way to gain experience as a volunteer, but there are other actions that support one’s local community: volunteering at a soup kitchen, an animal shelter, or a library can help kids learn the value of service and the importance of giving back while becoming role models.

2. High School AP Courses

Advanced Placement courses are introductory college and university courses offered to advanced high school students. These courses vary depending on one’s high school. The most commonly taught ones are Chemistry, Biology, English, History, and Calculus, but some schools offer AP Computer Science , Art and Design, Geography, Economics, International Languages, and more. At the culmination of these courses, students have the opportunity to complete an exam which can allow them to use the course for college credit.

They are an excellent means of getting a leg up and saving some money in college, but they are also great opportunities to see how university differs from high school and how to go deeper into their interests. AP courses are intentionally challenging, and they might be the hardest academic experience yet for many high school juniors and seniors. But by completing AP courses, students can gain confidence and expertise that can serve them well throughout their lives.

Join our live online, expert-led introduction to Java that also maps to AP Computer Science Java (APCSA) requirements, and is certified by the College Board.

3. Put the “A” in “STEAM”

Creative pursuits are never a waste of time. Especially for students, organized creative activities such as painting, music, cooking, and theater have incredible benefits for a growing mind. Learning music reinforces the patterns, logic, and relationships in both math and reading. Drawing and painting have long been primary ways in which students of Biology, Geography, and Architecture relate to the world around them , especially before the advent of photography and smartphones. Even with these advanced technologies, drawing a living organism by hand is a painstaking but mesmerizing activity that improves knowledge of physical biological structures.

The acronym STEAM was first advocated as a replacement for STEM by the Rhode Island School of Design, which argued that the creative arts help integrate the skills required for STEM while also helping students to become more well-rounded, expressive, and organized. Aside from patience, problem solving, and attention to detail, art is itself a transformative process of discovery, both of the artist herself and of the world around her.

When it comes to relationships of power, a lack of self awareness, self control, and patience are hallmarks of bad leadership, so by learning through creation, students can gain some small mastery over their young, illusive selves, something which even many adults. Studies have shown that these benefits are nearly universal, helping struggling students to learn better and giving high achieving students a low-stress outlet to help them decompress, which has been shown to reduce headaches in teenagers .

4. Student Government, Clubs, Publications, and Organizations

One of the most enduring opportunities for volunteering for high school students has long revolved around student government, after school clubs, student journalism, and national organizations. While the most obvious might be student council, where students run for election by their peers, many high school students might struggle with this level of direct, public leadership. For students who are more introverted, running for office can be a great way of stepping outside their comfort zone, but if that sounds too uncomfortable, then chess club, STEM clubs, and coding clubs are great options.

By setting goals, working in teams, and producing work such as a yearbook, a student newspaper, an amateur TV program, or a coding club, students can gain immense satisfaction and confidence that can propel them toward excellence, sparking a desire for future success. For artistic students who are interested in technology, courses in digital design in Photoshop or Canva and game design in Unity are great interdisciplinary activities for high school students.

Success is rarely achieved through talent or interest alone, but requires hard work and dedication above and beyond what is expected. While students should balance extracurricular activities to support and not hinder their education, it can be a fundamentally important experience to run for office or become a member of a club.  At the core level, these activities teach students to put more effort into their education than the baseline of simply attending school and doing one’s best.

5. National STEM Honors Society, National Honors Society, and National Merit Scholarship

These organizations encourage high school students to strive towards excellence as academics, but also as members of their communities. The National Honors Society recognizes academic excellence, while providing opportunities for scholarships, community service, and national competitions that help on resumes and college applications. There is also a specific National STEM Honors Society to help drive equality and community engagement in STEM education.

National Merit Scholars follow a similar tack, by providing recognition and financial support to students who achieve good grades in high school. Especially for lower income students, these resources are an excellent way to narrow the economic/educational achievement gap and open opportunities for students wondering how to fund their higher education .

6. Future Business Leaders of America

The FBLA is an organization dedicated to guiding future leaders in global business and entrepreneurship. Representing values of equality, diversity, and economic development, the FBLA helps over 200,000 students every year to become community-minded leaders through a variety of initiatives including competitions, workshops, scholarships, and conferences.

7. Sports and Gaming

Team sports are a great way for high school students to develop leadership skills . By leading a team, students must be able to organize others, train effectively, and adapt to rapidly changing situations, skills valued everywhere. Studies have found a direct correlation between exercise and higher test scores in STEM and language arts. Without even being a team captain, team members learn how to work with others to achieve a common goal, where communication and support are crucial. These are directly related to leadership.

But it doesn’t stop there: for less socially inclined people, there are other opportunities such as jogging, yoga, and swimming that can engender physical strength, endurance, better sleep, and resilient mental health. Sports teach team building, and exercise is a key component of building positive relationships with health, sleep, and proper diet , but the team work and competition aspects of sport extends to other forms of gaming. Board games and video games can be social or solo, but they provide students with a chance to problem solve, to imagine solutions to complex problems, and to have fun. While video games can disrupt sleep when they are played too late, and while many parents might worry about gaming being a waste of time, some studies have shown a positive correlation between video games and increased test scores in reading . Within moderation, we feel that gaming can be a stimulating, fun, and social activity for all ages.

8. Build Community Around Your Passions

Let’s take this a step further: students can learn better when they actively participate in their education . Likewise, students are likely to be motivated to learn better when they are pursuing something that they are already interested in , but they learn especially well when they are helping or teaching others . For this reason, we suggest that you get involved in your child’s passions and support their interests, even when they seem unrelated to your desired plan for your kids.

Video games and creative expression are excellent tools to reinforce learning STEM, but they are also doorways into STEAM, especially when it comes to Computer Science, coding, reading, and math. For example, ask any child under the age of 14 about Minecraft and Roblox . Chances are they have played one or the other, and considering how popular they are, your child probably already knows a lot about one or the other, if not both. What most kids and parents don’t know is that these are also great platforms for learning about coding , game design , and logic.

There’s a lot of tutorials online, but we suggest that coding classes are one of the best ways to encourage kids who love gaming to learn how to code. As one of the most in-demand skills and one of the areas of highest growth potential in the future tech-driven economy, learning to code early is a great way to get ahead. At Create & Learn, we believe that the future leaders of tomorrow will need to be comfortable with code, so we offer a range of live online courses for kids of all ages to learn computer programming in relation to gaming, art and design, robotics , and software engineering. We even have free coding classes led by experts to try.

9. FIRST Robotics and Robotics Competitions

If your high school student loves STEM, then FIRST Robotics is for them. FIRST Robotics is a national robotics competition that joins teams of students from around the country to design and build large robots that will work together with other teams to complete in a field game of some kind. Students also gain experience in fundraising and representing their schools in competitions. These teams are often the best of the best when it comes to STEM students, who also gain valuable experience in coding and programming their robots using Python or other programming languages.

10. The Importance of Structured Activity and Free Time for Teens

Time use is a topic that can provoke strong debates among parents, educators, and students. A longitudinal study on high school educational outcomes and time use shows that merely participating in extracurricular activities has been associated with positive improvements in academic performance and pro-social behaviors. These activities are important, because many children and teens have not yet had enough experience to know the options available to them. They must be shown and sometimes gently encouraged to try new things.

These activities provide them with communities of their peers as well as adult role models who can shape their self perception and their expectations towards leaders, both positively and negatively. It has been shown that too much unstructured time has been linked to disorders such as substance abuse and antisocial behavior in high school students. Structure is good for kids.

There is a fine line to walk however, as having no free time to be at ease among one’s peers can result in stunted social development and lower levels of autonomy as adults. All this is to say that if you want your child to learn leadership skills, then extracurricular activities of any kind can support that goal, but that too much activity and not enough free time can begin to have an adverse effect on academic performance and mental health.

Try leadership activities and examples for high school students

As a next step, speak with your child. Ask them what they think they are best at? What could they teach others? Encourage them to think about themselves as potential leaders, but then ask them, How could you become better? We suggest encouraging them to pursue two or three activities from the above list, each of which should aim at physical exercise, academics, and creativity. A sport, a club, and an artistic practice.

Keeping it simple and following their interests is a great place to start. But then we suggest signing up for an AP High School class, taking an online coding class , or perhaps a community painting or drawing class to light the creative spark that they might not have expected. Push them, gently, to explore their boundaries and be ready to encourage them at every step without getting too worried if they change directions. If you’re looking for an activity to begin today, you could check out some of our other articles on the top online coding bootcamps for kids and Math competitions for high school students .

Written by Bryan Gordon, a Create & Learn instructor. After ten years of working as an English teacher, Bryan began studying Math and Computer Science over the past few years. Aside from writing and teaching, he likes cooking, gardening, playing guitar, and hanging out with his cats, Baguette and Wally.

You Might Also Like...

15 Remarkable Online Coding Platforms for Kids & Teens

25 Inspiring Computer Science Quotes

• Let’s Connect
• U.S. History
• Government & Civics
• Global Issues
• Student Council & Leadership
• Student Council & Leadership

My favorite part of teaching Leadership class is also the most underrated: having the chance to strengthen life skills! 

When else do active listening, empathy, or thinking outside the box get to be the focus of class time? I love it! These are the types of things we hope students pick up somehow but rarely have opportunity to teach explicitly.

Leadership skills, especially at the middle or high school level, encompass many life skills—communication, compassion, teamwork, creativity, and social-emotional intelligence. It goes way beyond just leading people.

The best part is being able to plot precisely in the year a particular skill is best to focus on so they carry more meaning. Like practicing speaking skills right before an assembly. Or doing a gratitude lesson during November. 

If this is your first time teaching Leadership, you aren’t able to fully predict which skills need work and when. So, give yourself grace and take lots of notes during your first year. Then, before the following school year, use them to plan out your calendar.

Below are 5 of my favorite activities to teach essential leadership skills. These come from my  year-long leadership skills activity bundle , which includes 30 one-hour print-and-teach lessons. 

1. Build Team Work by Hosting a Scavenger Hunt Swap

This activity is perfect for right at the start of the year!

Divide your students into groups of 3-4, giving each a shopping bag and a blank sheet of paper, and head outside. Be sure to review the defined boundaries for this activity (ex. “ on campus, except parking lot ”).

Give groups a few minutes to brainstorm ten items that are 

• findable and accessible on campus
• nobody’s personal property
• fit inside the provided bags

Some examples could be a rock from the courtyard, a napkin from the cafeteria, a sticky note from the attendance office counter. 

Gather up the lists, then randomly pass them back out to groups. With all members sticking together in their group, they must find the items on their list within a set amount of time.

Debrief by asking:  “What was the most challenging part of moving together as a team?”

Click to get more fun  teambuilding lessons .

2. Practicing Microphone Speaking Skills

Plan this one right before the first assembly. 

Ahead of time, type up a bunch of questions that take just a few words or a sentence to answer. Just be sure the questions are ones  every  student can easily and comfortably answer. So, no sensitive or personal questions. 

Cut them into slips for students to pull randomly.

Some examples of questions to ask: 

• Would you ever go skydiving? 
• What’s your favorite season and why? 
• Is a hotdog a sandwich?
• What’s your favorite meal?

Head down to the auditorium or gym (wherever you hold assemblies!) and power up the microphone. Stand in a line or circle, pull a question, and have students, one by one, answer the questions in the microphone. 

After several rounds, students should know how close to hold it and how loudly to speak and feel confident with their own voice. 

Start with questions that require only one-word answers and work up to ones that require a sentence. 

Debrief by asking:  After several rounds, what trick seemed to work the best to speak loudly, clearly, and confidently?

Click here for more print-and-go  speaking and listening lessons .

3. Strengthen Relationships among Students

This one is great to do a few weeks into the school year since it’s a more vulnerable team-building activity. 

Grab a bunch of paper lunch bags and hand one to each student to decorate with well-known things that represent them—sports a part of, instruments played, clubs a member of, stuff like that. 

Task students to bring something that fits inside the bag representing an aspect them that  isn’t  widely known. Like someone who likes to cook for their family bringing in a bottle of their favorite spice or a someone whose happy spot is the beach bringing in a seashell. Without showing anyone, students put their item into their bag.

Put the filled bags into a box and have students take one out. Have them examine the outside to see if they can guess the owner. Then, pull out the secret item and guess what it might represent. The owner can then share a bit about what the bag and item mean.  

Debrief by asking:  How can we create a group where we feel safe sharing our inner selves?

Click for more great  lessons on   building healthy relationships .

4. Practice Creative Thinking with Oops Art 

Save this one for a less hectic time of year since it can be scheduled at any time. All you need are some basic art supplies like paint, scissors, glue, and construction paper. 

Get a copy of the children’s book  Beautiful Oops!  by Barney Saltzberg  and read it aloud with students or have them each read a page aloud, then pass it on to the next. Yes, even high schoolers get a kick out of storytime!

Saltzberg includes nine “oopses” in the book, like a tear or paint spill. Assign each student one to create. 

Redistribute them back out, challenging students to now create a masterpiece out of the oops they got. Afterward, make a bulletin board display out of the artworks.

Debrief by asking:  How can we remind ourselves to look for the beauty in or a new purpose for a “mistake”?

Click to get more  creative and problem-solving lessons .

5. Encourage Goal Setting with a Bucket List 

This works well at many points in the year—the start of the school year, the new year, or second semester. Or even right before summer break!

This activity shows students that leadership skills include personal leadership too!

Decide a number theme that works for when you’re doing this:

• 18 Things to Do in 180 Days
• 9 Challenges for the 90 Days of Summer
• 11 Things to Do by the End of 11 th  Grade

Start by having students take a minute or two to close their eyes and envision how the perfect summer or school year would look. You may also want to make and share your own bucket list with students. 

The trick to a successful bucket list is to have a range of activities. Accomplishments shouldn’t all be expensive, time-consuming, or outside of comfort zones. A few “reach” goals should be balanced with ones that are free, can be done solo or at any time, and don’t much of time. 

Since lists  should  be personal, just ask for volunteers to share an item on their list to close the lesson.

Debrief by asking:  What’s something you’re excited to do that you’d never thought of until this activity?

Click here for more ready-to-go  mindfulness and personal growth lessons .

I hope these activity ideas help you incorporate more leadership skills into your classroom! 

Get all these activities as ready-to-go leadership lessons in my  Leadership Skills bundle , complete with teacher guides, warm-ups, handouts, and exit slips. With over 30 hour-long lessons to pick from, you will be set for the whole school year!

Feature image photo credit: Perry Grone

25 Winter School Spirit Ideas Perfect For Your Student Council

5 introduction lesson ideas for the first days of leadership class.

Related Posts

How to Start Your Middle or High School Student Council

9 Things Great Student Council Advisors Do

7 Essentials for How to Write A Student Council Constitution

Our Services

College Admissions Counseling

UK University Admissions Counseling

EU University Admissions Counseling

College Athletic Recruitment

Crimson Rise: College Prep for Middle Schoolers

Indigo Research: Online Research Opportunities for High Schoolers

Delta Institute: Work Experience Programs For High Schoolers

Graduate School Admissions Counseling

Private Boarding & Day School Admissions

Online Tutoring

Essay Review

Financial Aid & Merit Scholarships

Our Leaders and Counselors

Our Student Success

Crimson Student Alumni

Our Reviews

Our Scholarships

Careers at Crimson

University Profiles

US College Admissions Calculator

GPA Calculator

Practice Standardized Tests

SAT Practice Test

ACT Practice Tests

Personal Essay Topic Generator

eBooks and Infographics

Crimson YouTube Channel

Summer Apply - Best Summer Programs

Top of the Class Podcast

ACCEPTED! Book by Jamie Beaton

Crimson Global Academy

+1 (646) 419-3178

Go back to all articles

How To Develop Leadership Skills In High School: 5 Great Examples Of Leadership Activities

Pursuing and excelling at activities demonstrating your leadership skills can help your college application stand out to admission officers. Now, how exactly do you do that? This post will take you through how to develop your leadership skills and provide examples of leadership activities done by successful college admits.

If you are in the middle of your college application process, or even a few years out, it is likely, that you already know that extracurriculars are an integral part of your college application . But why? The fact is that extracurriculars bring your application to life . They demonstrate to admissions officers what kind of person you are and what kind of contribution you would make to their college community. At Crimson Education , we know that admissions officers are looking for hard-working, creative leaders that will contribute to their community: students that will apply themselves and work toward making their college community a better place. So, what does this mean for your application?

Interested in learning more? Attend one of our free events

How to perfect your activities list for top college applications.

Thursday, May 23, 2024 12:00 AM CUT

Get expert tips from a Former Stanford and Northwestern Admissions Officer about how to make your extracurriculars stand out among tens of thousands of other applicants!

REGISTER NOW

How to Build Leadership Skills in High School?

First, what does it mean to be a leader? A common misconception is that leaders are always extroverted, loud, and direct. While this is certainly one type of leader, leadership styles are much more nuanced than that. In fact, there are as many types of leaders as there are types of people in this world. Being a successful leader means locating the issues in your community (this could be in your family, at your school, in your neighborhood, city, or country) and applying creative methods to solve that problem.

Another way to look at leadership skills is to think of the skills you already have (coding, sewing, reading etc.) and figure out where or how you can apply them to causes you care about. For example, say you love to draw, and you are interested in supporting a homeless shelter in your neighborhood. Well, you could illustrate a poster or postcard related to the cause of that shelter, then sell them, and all the proceeds could go to the shelter. You just conducted a full-blown fundraiser! Or say you are an avid coder and gamer and you are interested in supporting a restaurant in your town that is struggling due to the effects of COVID-19. You could offer to revamp their website (or create their website if they don’t already have one), which could boost their sales and/or give them a platform for delivery.

Both of these projects are wonderful examples of leadership extracurriculars because they demonstrate initiative and creative thinking. To be a leader means to be a problem solver - whatever that means to you and your community!

Developing Leadership in High School with Anjali Bhatia | Crimson Experts Interview Series Ep. 1

Examples of Leadership Activities for High School Students

Let’s look at more examples. Here is a list of leadership activities that Crimson’s successful college admits have pursued. Hopefully, this list will give you a jumping-off point when considering what leadership activities you would like to pursue.

1. Developing an App

Crimson student Miles created an app called FoodForThought, where restaurants and cafes across Auckland could post the leftover food from the day on the platform at a discount, allowing cost-conscious consumers to purchase high-quality food and beverages that would have been otherwise thrown away at the end of the day. Miles coded the entire project by himself and, with the help of his Crimson ECL Mentor, secured further funding for his company from an NZ-based angel investor.

Why is this a good leadership activity?

Miles noticed a problem in his community - food waste - and found a way to solve it using his skills (coding and app development). Additionally, Miles created this project outside a pre-established institution (his school or another volunteer organization). This tells admissions officers that Miles is not only able to solve problems in his community, but he is also a self-starter: someone who can develop projects from scratch. This project would therefore stand out on a college application.

2. Art and Health

Crimson student Annie created Art for Therapy, a project designed to improve the patient environment in therapy clinics. Often, people that go to therapy feel isolated by the sterile, hospital-like environment and the lack of inviting decor. Annie aimed to make patients more comfortable by donating student art to local clinics to improve attitudes and receptivity to therapy and recovery rates.

This project is unique, another quality that admissions officers look for in extracurricular activities. Annie clearly cares about health care and found a way to improve inpatients’ experiences without being a qualified nurse or doctor: she provided them with art! This project shows that Annie is an innovative thinker, persistent, and empathetic, all of which are great qualities to showcase on a college application.

3. Inclusive Journalism

Crimson student Adhithi is passionate about all-inclusive journalism. So, she and students from seven countries (that she met through Crimson Community) began working together to develop a news website that serves as an outlet to inform and highlight the impact of domestic disasters on an international scale. This website was dedicated to international and domestic politics. The target of this website was primarily students, but once the website started developing a solid reader base, Adhithi and her teammates worked to expand their writing by publishing their work in local newspapers.

This project is particularly strong due to its impact. Adhithi took advantage of the international community here at Crimson and expanded this project’s impact across continents. We can also see that Adhithi zeroed in on a problem in her community and sought a way to solve it. This project demonstrates Adhithi’s skills as an organized, driven, hard-working leader and illustrates her specific passion for inclusive journalism.

4. Athletics and Social Work

Crimson student Yuo is an enthusiastic tennis player who wants to solve a problem in his community. He saw that many perfectly usable tennis balls were discarded after games because they were not the standard needed for professional players, yet they were great for use by beginners. Yuo, therefore, started a project where he connected tennis clubs in his town with disadvantaged youth programs to help younger students learn the sport.

Once again, we have a great example of a student noticing a specific issue in their community and finding a way to be a part of the solution. This activity is strong because we see that Yuo was able to build upon another one of his extracurriculars: tennis. When writing out your list of extracurricular activities in your application, a good rule of thumb is that the more connections between your activities, the better. Not all your activities need to be related, but when 4-6 of them have something in common, it can help readers better understand who you are as a student and person.

5. Indigenous Awareness and Education

Crimson student Janela started a project to raise the consciousness of indigeneity in high schoolers called iSPARK. In early high school, Janela noticed that her textbooks barely included any material on indigenous history. She was shocked by this erasure, and it motivated her to fill in this gap in education by hosting a webinar series that provides a platform for indigenous people and scholars to share their experiences with high schoolers worldwide. In its final stages, iSPARK included over two hundred students around the US, two nonprofits, and school clubs who collaborated on collaborative projects to become allies with indigenous communities and initiate institutional reform.

This project demonstrates an ability to think critically; Janela has noticed a country-wide issue, and rather than be discouraged by its size, she has decided to channel her energy into correcting it, even if just in one small way. This is evidence of a persistent leader who can see beyond the here and now and conceptualize a brighter future. Additionally, we can see that this project has gained in size and impact over time, which is a quality that application readers look for.

Final Thoughts

Remember to start small and scale up, be honest and pursue what you are actually passionate about, and keep uniqueness, impact, problem-solving, and community in mind

If you would like more support building your leadership profile, enquiry with one of Crimson’s excellent Extracurricular Mentors below!

What Makes Crimson Different

Key Resources & Further Reading

• Join our free webinars on US university applications
• Free eBooks and guides to help with the college application process
• How to Build an Extracurricular Profile for US Universities
• Supercurriculars: Boosting Your Application for Top UK Universities
• Top 8 Benefits of Extracurricular Activities for High School Students
• Examples Of Extracurricular Activities That Look Great On College Applications

More Articles

How to ace the common app activities list: a step-by-step guide.

Diving into Robotics: An Epic Extracurricular for STEM Success

How to Show Intellectual Curiosity on Your Top College Application

• WordPress.org
• Documentation
• Learn WordPress
• Members Newsfeed

15 Leadership Activities for High School Students

• School Leadership

Introduction:

Leadership is an essential skill for personal and professional growth. High school is an ideal time to develop and cultivate leadership qualities, as students are beginning to discover their passions and interests. In this article, we present 15 leadership activities that can help high school students enhance their skills and become better leaders.

1.Team Building Exercises: Organize team-building activities such as group projects, scavenger hunts, or problem-solving tasks to encourage collaboration and communication among students.

2.Leadership Workshops: Host workshops or seminars on essential leadership qualities such as decision-making, time management, delegation, and conflict resolution.

3.Volunteer Work: Participate in community service projects to learn the importance of giving back and taking responsibility for one’s community.

4.Model UN: Join or start a Model United Nations club in your school to develop diplomatic skills, global awareness, and public speaking abilities.

5.Student Government: Run for a position in your school’s student government to gain experience in decision-making, negotiation, and team management.

6.Peer Mentoring Programs: Establish a peer mentoring program where older students guide younger ones through schoolwork or extracurricular challenges, fostering teamwork and empathy.

7.Debate Club: Participate in a debate club to hone persuasive communication skills and develop critical thinking abilities.

8.Leadership Books and Discussions: Form a book club to read and discuss books about leadership or influential leaders from various fields.

9.Group Presentations: Encourage students to work together on group presentations, promoting collaboration, accountability, and public speaking skills.

10.Guest Speakers: Invite local leaders or professionals to speak about their experiences, providing invaluable insights into leadership in different contexts.

11.Problem-Solving Activities: Engage in activities that require creative problem-solving techniques like brainstorming sessions or mock business scenarios.

12.Role-Playing Scenarios: Use role-playing games or simulations to practice leadership skills in a fun and interactive environment.

13.Sports and Fitness : Participate in team sports for both physical and mental development, as well as instilling the value of teamwork and discipline.

14.Clubs and Organizations: Join or start clubs that focus on your interests, allowing you to develop your leadership skills while expanding your knowledge in a particular area.

15.Leadership Retreats: Organize or attend leadership retreats to further enhance students’ skills by immersing them in an environment dedicated to personal growth and development.

Conclusion:

High school students can benefit significantly from engaging in these 15 leadership activities. Participating in these activities will not only help students develop crucial skills for their future careers but also imbue them with the confidence and empathy necessary to become effective leaders. Fostering leadership qualities at a young age can lead to all-around personal growth and open doors to great opportunities in the future.

Related Articles

Leadership is a quality that is highly beneficial in every stage of…

The school staff room is where educators come together to relax, prep…

Introduction: As a teacher, it can be beneficial to understand what your…

Pedagogue is a social media network where educators can learn and grow. It's a safe space where they can share advice, strategies, tools, hacks, resources, etc., and work together to improve their teaching skills and the academic performance of the students in their charge.

If you want to collaborate with educators from around the globe, facilitate remote learning, etc., sign up for a free account today and start making connections.

Pedagogue is Free Now, and Free Forever!

• New? Start Here
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Registration

Don't you have an account? Register Now! it's really simple and you can start enjoying all the benefits!

We just sent you an Email. Please Open it up to activate your account.

I allow this website to collect and store submitted data.

3 Great Worksheets to Focus Your Student Leaders

These Worksheets Will Help You Develop Student Leaders

Student leadership is part of a rock solid foundation for strong school culture, but steering students in that positive direction can be a challenge. That’s why our leadership expert, Stephen Amundson, has put together three worksheets designed to address three common leadership issues.

Feel free to use any or all of them as they fit your specific needs. If you’re not sure what your specific leadership needs are, you may want to check out this post which covers some of the basic starting points for student leaders.

FREE Student Leadership Worksheets

The first of the three worksheets addresses what a leader is, and what their role can and should be. This can be a great jumping off point for new leaders, or a valuable way to regroup with more senior student leaders. It also offers an opportunity for self reflection that can be valuable for adult leaders as well

Download  the first worksheet, “Leaders Are, Can, & Think.”

It isn’t always easy to keep your student leaders focused and motivated, but I’ve found that most leaders thrive on guided thought exercises like the one in this worksheet. Most student leaders have a strong desire to contribute in a positive way, but they don’t always know how to get from “I want to help” to “here’s the plan.”

Try to remember that direction in leadership is something you obtained over a lifetime, and your students don’t yet have that benefit. They’re still experimenting, observing, and listening. Each experience is an opportunity for them to hone their skills, and each challenge is a chance for them to become an even stronger asset to both their school and their community.

This simple worksheet will help your students to reflect on where they are as leaders. It will also help you to steer them toward growth and agency. Feel free to download, share, and use this student leadership worksheet in your own lesson plans!

In case you missed it,  here’s a link to the free worksheet.

Downloadable Leadership Worksheets #2 & #3

The second worksheet is a more focused look at who we want to be as leaders. One of the best ways to find a starting point for any new leader is to look at leadership role models and extract the qualities we see in them which we want to develop in ourselves. This worksheet focuses on that approach, and even offers action steps

CLICK HERE for the second worksheet, on leadership role models, “Who Do You Admire, and Why?”

Finally, the third worksheet takes a more advanced step into leadership, focusing on attitude. If you’ve followed TEEN TRUTH or RISING UP even for a short while, you’ve likely heard of the impact attitude can have.  In fact, it’s one of the first things I look for when I’m visiting a campus. CLICK HERE for the third worksheet, on leadership attitude.

Be sure to develop your leadership (both student and adult). It is one of the quickest ways to improve school culture, and can be a massive return on your time. Special thanks to Stephen Amundson for these fantastic worksheets! His site can be found here and is an excellent resource which I highly recommend checking out.

Check out more student leadership activities and continue learning about how to build an inclusive and diverse culture of leadership at your school with our guide to building student leaders .

Ready to take your school leadership to the next level? Check out TEEN TRUTH’s Leadership Summits !

School/Organization

Email Address

Phone Number

Title/Position

Tell us about your needs and goals...

Recent Posts

• Resources for Professional Development for Teachers
• Common Places to Host a High School Reunion
• Mental Health Issues and The Influence that Mental Health Speakers Have
• Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Curriculum in High School
• School Assembly Ideas
• Awards & Press
• News & Promotions
• Uncategorized
• Voices & Insight

Download Our Free School Culture Book

Thank you for subscribing.

From Classroom to the Boardroom: Leadership activities for high school students

Leadership development for high school students

Famous entrepreneur, leader and investor, Shaan Puri once heard someone describe themselves as Patient + Relentless . 

This got me thinking about what traits make great leaders.  

What leadership skills can set you up for success? 

Confident + Problem Solver

You could be working at Tesla or Twitch or an NGO or even McDonald’s. Regardless, at some point in your career you will need to guide people. 

And as forward-thinking high school students, starting early on developing your leadership skills gives you an edge. 

With the right ones, it could help you unlock your potential and pave the way for a successful future. 

When it comes to leadership activities, I am inevitably asked two things: 

• Why are leadership skills so important? 
• What are the best leadership activities to take part in?

The answer to the first question is easy - participating in leadership activities will help you build essential skills, like teamwork, communication, decision-making, and problem-solving. It is also a way to explore your interests and establish meaningful connections. 

The answer to the second needs a bit more attention. 

This blog reviews some exciting leadership activities that high school students like you can take part in to improve your leadership qualities. 

Why are leadership activities important for high school students? 

To be a good leader, you must have a good understanding of your strengths, your weaknesses and your emotions. 

Leadership skills can enhance every area of your life. 

High school is not just about academic growth. Your personal growth is just as important. 

The secret no one wants you to know is this: it’s actually all very simple.

• You have a great idea. 
• You can lead people. 

When you have strong leadership skills, you have the confidence to navigate any situation and you are better at making decisions. 

You will need to be able to develop a plan of action in any given situation. 

This is how leaders succeed. 

High school students who participate in leadership building activities tend to have higher levels of confidence and self-esteem because you are given opportunities to take on significant responsibilities and contribute to purposeful activities. 

It could be in one week or one month - the results show itself. 

Engaging in leadership activities can be transformative.  

Also, leadership activities help students develop and improve your soft skills, which are just as important. Skills such as communication, decision making, problem solving, teamwork, and time-management all help you navigate your career. 

Eventually you will realize that you are filled with a sense of purpose. With the responsibility that is entrusted on you, the contributions you make will be invaluable.  

The benefits of participating in leadership activities. 

Participating in leadership activities has a profound impact on your future, whether you’re in college, the workplace, one of the Big Four, or involved in your local community. 

Leadership is not just about leading people, but also about taking responsibility for yourself and your actions. 

Developing your character through leadership involves teaching yourself how to make ethical decisions; how to solve problems, and how to work collaboratively. 

Besides the known benefits of confidence and independence, they also provide you the opportunity to network and build meaningful relationships. 

You are also unconsciously training yourself to deal with people from different cultures, problem solve and work through ideas. 

The world runs on business - and your success depends on being able to convince people to choose your idea. 

These are few of the benefits:

• Develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills 
• Boosts confidence and self-esteem
• Enhances teamwork and communication skills 
• Develops time-management skills 
• Helps in decision-making 
• Improves leadership qualities 

Best Leadership Activities for High School Students

Finding the right activities can sometimes feel like mindlessly scrolling through TikTok. 

BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS: You don’t have to look far. In fact, here are 8 different activities that we have curated for you. 

• Business bootcamps:  

As students you can benefit greatly from participating in youth-focused programs such as BETA Camp or other tech programs . Such cutting-edge programs provide training and experiences to cultivate leadership qualities within you. 

These learning experiences can be instrumental in building your confidence as well as shaping your personality. Plus it also helps you improve your resume and stand out from the crowd when seeking opportunities in the future. 

• Debate club: 

Joining a high school debate club will definitely help develop your critical thinking, communication, and persuasion skills. By engaging in structured debates, you learn to analyze arguments and identify flaws in reasoning. It’s one of the best ways to develop the ability to think critically and logically. 

• Volunteer work: 

Service learning projects are an excellent way to develop your leadership skills.  Participating in volunteer work or community service requires empathy, but you learn teamwork, and leadership skills too. 

As you give back to the community, you learn to be compassionate towards people, which teaches you to think beyond yourself and consider the needs of others. 

• Student government: 

Getting active in student government is another way to develop leadership qualities, practice decision-making skills, and grow your confidence.  By taking an active role in shaping the policies that affect your peers, you learn to weigh the potential outcomes of each decision. 

• Sports teams: 

Being a part of a sports team helps develop teamwork, communication skills, and leadership skills. Team sports teach you to work towards a common goal while respecting the strengths and weaknesses of others. 

• Public speaking: 

Entering in public speaking competitions is another great way to develop communication skills and confidence. What better way to learn how to convey your thoughts by expressing them in a clear, concise and convincing manner. For example, Toast Master or Model United Nations are good places to start with. 

Mentoring younger students or peers requires communication as well as problem-solving skills. By sharing your knowledge and expertise with others, you can help them develop new skills, while you learn how to guide and lead others. 

• Organizing events

Planning and executing events, such as fundraisers or community get-togethers require not only leadership skills such as decision-making, but also budgeting finances and delegation. Collaborating with others enables you to develop teamwork skills and gives you the opportunity to learn how to interact with others while respecting diverse opinions and ideas. 

What might start out as a boring, run-of-the mill activity can instantly turn into something that provides direction. 

A routine task might turn into an opportunity for growth and self discovery. 

How leadership skills can be transferred to academic and career pursuits.

High school education has the potential to mold students into successful individuals. However, it can also be daunting and overwhelming. With the proper strategies though, it is possible to navigate through these years successfully. 

The reason why you are on this page is because you have goals . 

You are ambitious. You want more out of High School. 

You know that right now it is essential to explore your interests, develop skills for your future and build connections with your peers. 

Academic education is a vital component, but it goes beyond just that. 

It’s nothing complex. 

And yet, it’s everything . 

For academic pursuits, leadership skills can help an individual develop effective communication skills, encourage collaboration and provide guidance and motivation. 

Similarly in the professional world, individuals who possess leadership skills can take on managerial roles and lead teams effectively.  

Moreover, when you demonstrate strong leadership skills, people are bound to push your name forward. 

BETA Camp graduates who have demonstrated leadership  

While we're on the topic of talking about successful leaders. Let’s look at a few leaders that have come out of our camp: 

• Rhett Jones  

A former student of BETA Camp who went on to become a successful entrepreneur. He is currently building Texas’ best public bike park in his neighborhood in Austin

From chess player to entrepreneur, Suma and her team built a successful productivity tool to help teens. 

• Rishi Kothari 

Rishi went on to raise over $1.6M for Otto after attending BETA Camp. He learned that without research, your product has no demand.  

From high school senior to creative agency founder, Jane honed her leadership skills at BETA Camp. She showed a keen interest in a creative field and was particularly interested in marketing. 

As a young entrepreneur she learned to communicate expectations with other team members.   

These are just a few examples of many successful leaders who have learned new skills with BETA Camp. 

Let BETA Camp guide you through skills that will set you up for success. The benefits of BETA Camp are many; it’s faster than anything else, it’s actually fun, and it will teach you skills you couldn't learn anywhere else. 

Be a Leader, Start today 

The best leaders are those who constantly strive to learn, grow and develop their skills. 

Leadership development is a great way to improve your leadership qualities, nurture your soft skills, and achieve your long-term goals. 

With the right tools, you can gain valuable insights into yourself, your team and the business environment. Whether it's joining a debate club or being a part of a sports team, high school students have plenty of choices to choose from.

Soon your traits will be not just Confident + Problem Solver , but Patient + Relentless or Fierce + Nerd or Creative + Strategic . 

If you want to be a leader and succeed in your personal and professional life, start participating in leadership activities today. 

Don't let the fear of failure hold you back, take the first step, and see the magic happen. Soon you will be able to lead with confidence and success. 

You can always start with BETA Camp .

Where will your startup journey take you?

Secure your spot in BETA Camp Summer 2024

Related Posts

Master the Art of Storytelling in Business

How Anagha started her career in medicine as a freshman in high school

Meet the BETA Camp alumni on track to qualify for the Olympics

Join beta camp.

7 Successful Teen Entrepreneurs (and how they did it!)

How to write a cover letter in high school with NO experience | Examples & Tips

Every MIT Summer Program for High Schoolers, Ranked (and how to get in!)

Summer II 2024 Application Deadline is June 26, 2024.  

Click here to apply.

Featured Posts

Pace University's Pre-College Program: Our Honest Review

Building a College Portfolio? Here are 8 Things You Should Know

Should You Apply to Catapult Incubator as a High Schooler?

8 Criminal Justice Internships for High School Students

10 Reasons to Apply to Scripps' Research Internship for High School Students

10 Free Business Programs for High School Students

Spike Lab - Is It a Worthwhile Incubator Program for High School Students?

10 Business Programs for High School Students in NYC

11 Summer Film Programs for High School Students

10 Photography Internships for High School Students

8 Free Leadership Programs for High School Students

Joining a leadership program in high school is a great investment in personal and professional growth, especially while applying to college. Such programs offer a unique opportunity to develop essential leadership skills, enhance communication abilities, and foster teamwork. Engaging in leadership activities during your formative high school years will not only build confidence, but also instill a sense of responsibility and initiative. Additionally, participation in a high school leadership program provides a platform to connect with like-minded peers, mentors, and opportunities that can shape a promising future. It is a chance to gain practical experience, develop a strong work ethic, and lay the foundation for your successful and impactful leadership journey ahead.

However, most leadership programs often charge hefty amounts, or offer limited financial aid, which can be a deterrent for quite a lot of high schoolers. 

In this blog, we’ve highlighted 8 free leadership programs that you can make the best of! 

1. HOBY Youth Leadership

The Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) is a renowned organization dedicated to empowering and developing young leaders. Named after actor Hugh O'Brian, who founded the program in 1958, HOBY aims to inspire high school students to become effective and ethical leaders in their communities. The organization hosts leadership seminars and programs across the United States, providing participants with opportunities for personal growth, community service, and networking. Through interactive workshops, discussions, and hands-on activities, HOBY aims to encourage students like you to explore your potential and make a positive impact on society. 

The program focuses on fostering qualities such as communication, critical thinking, and social responsibility, preparing you for leadership roles in your school and beyond. HOBY’s State Leadership Seminar welcomes school and community nominated students to 3-4-day seminars each spring and summer, with locations varying from the East Coast to the West.  

Location: See here  to find your closest State Leaderships Seminar location.

Dates: Dates vary, see here to find out when the State Leaderships Seminar is in your area. 

Registration: Students are nominated by other peers. See here . 

Eligibility: High school sophomores. 

2. National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC)

The National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC) is a dynamic and immersive leadership program designed to help students who are seeking to explore their interests and develop essential leadership skills. Through a variety of specialized conferences in fields such as business, medicine, law, and more, NSLC provides you with hands-on experiences, engaging simulations, and interactions with professionals and experts in their chosen fields. 

This unique program not only fosters academic enrichment but also emphasizes the importance of leadership, teamwork, and critical thinking. With campuses at top universities across the United States, NSLC offers a transformative experience that will empower you to envision and pursue your potential future career path while honing the leadership qualities that will serve you well in any endeavor. Some of NSLC’s programs do require tuition, but the others don’t, so make sure to apply for the right one!

We have covered all there is to know about the NSLC in this blog. 

Location: The conference is hosted across 13 different prestigious universities, see here .

Dates: NSLC’s programs are split into many different fields of interest, with the dates varying. See here  for the full list and schedule. 

Registration: NSLC does have suggested seasonal deadlines, but will continue to accept applications if space is available in a program or on a program’s waitlist. Apply here . 

Eligibility: 6th-12th grade students. 

3. Sadie Nash Leadership Project

The Summer Institute by The Sadie Nash Leadership Project is a unique leadership initiative tailored for high school women and gender-expansive students aspiring to delve into the realms of diversity and inclusion within leadership. Spanning six weeks, the program encompasses enriching experiences such as field trips, workshops, and insights from guest speakers and leaders across the broader NYC area. 

Through mentorship, workshops, and community engagement, the Sadie Nash Leadership Project strives to amplify diverse voices, instill confidence, and cultivate a sense of agency in its participants.  By emphasizing the intersectionality of leadership and social justice, Sadie Nash is at the forefront of creating a generation of dynamic and socially conscious leaders poised to make a positive impact in their communities and beyond.

Location: Program available in New York, NY and Newark, NJ.

Dates: Summer Institute runs for 5 weeks at locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Newark.

Registration: The application cycle for Summer Institute 2024 will open in the Spring of 2024.

Eligibility: Young women and gender-expansive youth who are enrolled in high school and live in New York City or Newark.

4. Bank of America Student Leaders Program

The Bank of America Student Leader program is a prestigious initiative designed to empower and inspire the next generation of community leaders. This competitive program provides high school students with a unique opportunity to engage in a transformative eight-week summer internship, gaining firsthand experience in nonprofit work and community service.  Through paid positions at local nonprofits, immersive leadership training, and a week-long leadership summit in Washington, D.C., participants develop essential skills, expand their understanding of social issues, and cultivate a commitment to positive change. The program, supported by Bank of America's commitment to youth leadership and community development, will equip you with the tools and networks necessary to make a meaningful impact in your community.

We have covered this program in detail here !

Location: Internship locations vary.

Dates: 8 weeks (Summer 2024).

Registration: Applications for the 2024 program are now being accepted through January 17th, 2024.

Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors.

5. MIT Leadership Training Institute

MIT conducts this annual Leadership Training Institute, spanning twelve Sundays in the spring. Participants are organized into small cohorts guided by Leadership Development Mentors. The experience involves introspective discussions on leadership principles, followed by the implementation of a substantial community service initiative addressing local issues. 

Additionally, a project development segment focuses on community service, translating acquired training into tangible social impact. 

For almost two weeks between February and May, the MIT Leadership Training Institute employs a dual approach of theory and practice to cultivate the leaders of tomorrow. Their sessions integrate a leadership development component, fostering confidence, character, and essential leadership skills. 

Location: Boston, Massachusetts.

Dates: Vary but fall between   February 11, 2024 to May 11, 2024.

Registration: Rolling admissions until December annually.

Eligibility: High school students. 

6. Subiendo: The Academy for Rising Leaders 

Subiendo, a competitive initiative hosted at UT Austin for high school rising juniors and seniors, provides an introduction to the McCombs School of Business. The program encompasses leadership seminars, case studies, campus tours, and interactions with current students. Participation in the program is entirely cost-free, with a particular emphasis on encouraging students from underrepresented groups to apply. During the week-long program, students will reside on campus, and all associated educational, boarding, and meal expenses will be covered by the University.

This program is designed to prepare young leaders, like you, in addressing the needs of the next generation by practicing with and talking through problem-solving issues in healthcare, energy/environment, and education. 

Location: Austin, Texas.

Dates: 5 days (June 11 – June 15, 2023).

Registration: January 31, 2023. 

Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors. 

7. Indiana University’s Young Women’s Institute

Throughout your visit, you will actively engage in a series of enriching experiences that include attending workshops conducted by distinguished faculty members from the Kelley School of Business and gaining valuable insights and knowledge. IU’s YWI also offers countless networking opportunities as you will get to interact with accomplished Kelley alumni and current peers, fostering connections that will extend beyond the day's events. 

A highlight of the program involves a hands-on exploration of a real-world business case project, allowing you to apply your skills in a practical context.  Additionally, the program serves as a platform for honing leadership and communication abilities, with tailored activities aimed at personal growth. Lastly, you will have the chance to connect with like-minded women who share a passion for business, creating a supportive community for ongoing collaboration and inspiration.

We’ve covered this program in detail here !

Location: Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. 

Dates: Dates vary, see here . 

Registration: TBD

Eligibility: Women who are juniors and seniors in high school. 

8. FBI NAA Youth Leadership Program

The Youth Leadership Program (YLP) by the FBI National Academy Associates aims to empower future leaders. Tailored to nurture the intellectual curiosity and impactful aspirations of exceptional young individuals, this Youth Leadership Program provides many opportunities that will allow you to flex your leadership muscle in a new and nationally-known setting (with the Federal Bureau of Investigation).

The overarching goal of YLP is to cultivate a community of influential leaders who are not only socially conscious, but also committed to serving others. By fostering connections through association, the FBI’s Youth Leadership Program endeavors to create a network of individuals dedicated to making a positive impact on the world.

Location: The FBI Academy in Virginia. 

Dates: June 20th-28th, 2024. 

Registration: Applicants should contact their local FBINAA Chapter and coordinate with the Chapter YLP Coordinator for specific information on that Chapter’s application process.

Eligibility: High school sophomores and juniors. 

If you’re looking for an incubator program that helps you establish a developed startup in high school, consider the Young Founders Lab! 

The   Young Founder’s Lab   is a real-world start-up bootcamp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a real-world problem.   You will also have the opportunity to be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. 

You can access the application link   here !

Lumiere Research Scholar Program

If conducting independent research in leadership, business, or workplace practices interests you, you could also consider applying to the Lumiere Research Scholar Program , a selective online high school program for students, founded with researchers at Harvard and Oxford. Last year, we had over 4000 students apply for 500 spots in the program! You can find the   application form  here.

Also check out the   Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation , a non-profit research program for talented, low-income students.

Mandy Brenner is a current junior at Harvard University. She is concentrating in History and Literature and loves to read and write in her free time.

Image Source: Bank of America Student Leaders logo

Classroom Curriculum Webinar!   Watch Now!     Student Athlete Program Webinar!    Watch Now!   Call Us: (231) 938-4140   Contact Us

• Meet the Author
• Staff Development Presentation

Classroom Curriculum Overview

• Character Education Curriculum for High Schools
• Character Education Curriculum for Middle Schools
• Character Education Curriculum for Alternative Education
• View Our 30-Minute Automated Webinar
• Role Models Textbook
• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Curriculum
• Student Athlete Program
• Student Testimonials
• Teacher Testimonials
• Role Models Textbook Testimonials
• Online Classroom
• Curriculum Materials
• Student Athlete Program Training
• Online Classroom Curriculum Training
• Traditional Classroom Curriculum Training
• Leadership Activities
• Leadership Principles
• Pricing/Ordering
• Sports Blog
• Introductory Videos
• Sign up for free webinar

Purpose of the Character Development and Leadership Curriculum for High School and Middle School Students

The Character Development & Leadership Curriculum for High School and Middle School changes students, changes schools and changes communities. It improves students' understanding of what character and leadership mean and naturally translates into more effective behavior in school and in life. It is used in more than 3,500 schools across the United States.

To provide a deeper understanding, we are providing you with lesson plans from an entire unit. This is Unit 15 on Responsibility, which is paired with the topic of Employability and Workplace Skills.

Unit 15 Sample Unit – Online Platform Unit 15 Sample Unit – Traditional Version

Download Program Brochure

Curriculum Format

The Character Development & Leadership Curriculum for High School and Middle School utilizes a consistent set of 14 lesson plans to teach each of the 18 character trait units. This is both the simplicity and the beauty of this curriculum. It’s what the teachers love and the students come to rely on. Once the students understand the 14 lesson plans, they know what to expect, which provides consistency. At the same time, one ethical dilemma (for example) doesn’t look like the next, so each lesson plan is unique and fresh.

Below you will find the format for the high school and middle school lesson plans. Each lesson plan is aligned with the common core standards for English and ties into a specific learning style.

We want to hear from you!

14 Lesson Plans for Each Unit

(1 & 2) Definition/Quote Exercise

This is a nice way to introduce the trait and get students thinking and reflecting. To make sure students are on the same page, students are given the opportunity to define the featured trait. Then students are given quotes that pertain to the trait from people throughout history and asked to personalize and provide context.

Quote Exercise Example - Week 15

(3) Ethical Dilemma

Students are confronted with real-life scenarios that force them to use critical thinking skills, recognize potential options, understand the consequences of their choices and to ultimately make better decisions. Students initially write their answers down on paper, but the hallmark of an effective classroom is getting students up and moving around, forming debates and looking at the issues from diverse perspectives.

Ethical Dilemma Example - Week 15

(4) Topic Lecture

It is essential to provide students with relevant and research-based information related to the topic of the week. This information helps students move forward by knowing the facts. In addition to the lecture notes, visuals and handouts are provided in the curriculum.

Topic Lecture Example - Week 15

(5) Character Movies

To immerse students in the character trait of the week, 18 movies are provided that exemplify each of the 18 traits covered in the curriculum. All of the movies are rated PG or PG-13 and come with the curriculum. Specific scenes are identified that allow students to focus on the character trait without requiring them to view the entire movie. Thought provoking questions for each movie are provided to facilitate meaningful class discussions. As you might expect, students routinely rate the videos as their favorite part.

Character Movie Example - Week 15 Character Movie List

(6 & 7) Two Role Model Chapters from the Role Models textbook per Trait

This is the textbook that the students read. Using the Traditional version, teachers order classroom sets of the text. For those using the online version, the chapters are embedded. This book was originally written in 2004. Certain role models were kicked out of the book and others were added over the years. In 2023, we doubled the amount of role models in the book, providing 2 role models per trait. This allowed us to provide more diversity for the reader (historical and contemporary; men and women; ethnicity and race; perspective and political persuasion). We believe this book provides the reader with excellent role models to look up to and emulate. Discussion questions accompany each chapter.

Textbook Chapter - Week 15 Textbook Quiz - Week 15

(8) Local Community Leaders

Individuals from the local community are invited into the classroom to serve as a role models. It was one of the favorite parts of the class. I hope every teacher does this. There is a handout for these guest speakers to follow, but essentially they are to provide their life lessons to the next generation, “If I die tomorrow, what are the life lessons I will leave behind for the next generation.” Everyone can do this if given time to prepare and rehearse.

(9) Basic Skills

In order to effectively teach character, kids must be challenged intellectually, emotionally and behaviorally. Basic skills emphasize the behavioral aspect of the class. These basic skills provide a skill set that they can utilize on a daily basis, which will ultimately create small & huge differences in their lives.

Basic Skill: Interview Example - Week 15

(10) Leadership Principles

We believe that leadership without character is a failure of leadership. We also believe that it is also possible to have tremendous character and still be a less-than-average leader. Therefore, 17 leadership principles are presented and studied in this curriculum. These principles are delivered in the form of virtual lectures on our website by Dr. Hoedel and other leaders. Discussion questions are provided to initiate classroom discussions.

(11) Leadership Exercises

Many believe that leadership is not something that can be taught, rather it needs to be experienced. For each unit we provide a leadership exercise to give students the opportunity to work together as a team and develop leadership skills. These hands-on activities get kids out of their chairs, learning by doing.

Leadership Exercise Example - Week 15

(12) On-Line Blog featuring Current Events

On the website, there is a link to the blog. On this blog, Dr. Hoedel provides weekly posts to spur discussions about current events related to character and leadership. Each post generally contains a video, a summary, the author’s perspective and a section called, "Your Turn" where students provide their perspectives.

Visit the Character Development and Leadership Curriculum for High School and Middle School Blog

(13) World Wide Web Assignment

According to research, teenagers spend 6-8 hours a day with a screen (tv, computer, tablet or phone). This time is not always used positively. The WWW assignment allows students to find a video clip that represents the featured trait and add it into the program. Students also provide a summary statement about why the clip was selected.  Creative students can film their own clip as an alternative.

(14) Expository Writing Assignment

Each of the 18 units culminates in an expository writing assignment and formal oral presentation. All final projects examine core beliefs and positive character-related issues. This is expository writing, requiring students to put what’s in their hearts and their heads on paper. These formal written and oral language outputs meet the Common Core ELA and ELD demands and support the academic language skills tested on high school exit, college readiness, military and work placement exams.

Weekly Assignment - Week 15

The 14 lesson plans (listed above) are repeated over and over about a different character trait that is paired with a different topic (listed below) .

18 Character Traits/Unit Topics Chart

To learn more about potential methods of implementation of the character development and leadership curriculum for high school and middle school students, click one of the buttons below..

High Schools Middle Schools Alternative Schools

What separates this curriculum from other Social-Emotional Learning curricula is an emphasis on reading and writing. For each unit, students write a two-page essay and read at least one chapter from the Role Models textbook. The literature is clear that all curricula needs to be rigorous and academically challenging. There are high expectations placed on each child – students can’t just show up and get an A in this course.

We also designed the topics to be relevant and meaningful to a child’s life. It is very important that every student understands how each lesson plan will impact their future. Detailed lesson plans, an online blog, virtual lectures on leadership, overheads, PowerPoint presentations, quizzes, final exams, a syllabus, grading scales and everything necessary to teach this course is included with this curriculum.

Watch our Free Automated Webinar

Order the Classroom Curriculum

Online classroom curriculum.

For schools with 1:1 laptop/ipad programs

Traditional Classroom Curriculum

Includes teacher binders, textbooks and workbooks

• Mathematics
• Reading and Writing
• Intervention
• Professional Learning
• Virtual Events
• What is Phonics?
• Teaching Grammar
• Vocabulary Games
• What is Virtual Learning?
• About Sadlier
• Find a Sales Representative
• International Distributors
• International Programs
• Online Catalogs
• Sadlier School Site Map
• Pricing & Ordering Information
• Sadlier’s W-9
• Sadlier’s Sole Source Letter
• Sadlier’s Credit Application
• Privacy Policy
• Return Policy
• Terms & Conditions

Sadlier's English Language Arts Blog

• Author Interviews
• Interactive Read Alouds
• Close Reading
• Vocabulary/Vocab Gal
• Writing with Vocabulary
• Assessments
• Charts/Posters
• Graphic Organizers
• Back to School
• End of School
• Classroom Management
• Grammar & Writing
• Thinking Routines
• About Our Bloggers

August 10, 2023 VG Seasonal Activities Fall , VG Writing with Vocabulary 6-12 , Vocab Gal , ELA Seasonal - Winter , ELA Seasonal Back to School , ELA Resources - Activities , ELA 9-12 , ELA PD - Leadership , ELA PD - Other , ELA PD - Classroom Management , ELA PD - Vocabulary , ELA Resources - Games , ELA Focus - Vocabulary

5 team-building activities for high school students, by: vocab gal.

In this article, you'll discover how team-building activities benefit high school students, ways to ensure team-building activities will be successful, and a variety of classroom-tested activities. Plus, download free printable team-building activities that can be used at the start of a new school year or new semester!

Benefits of Team-Building Activities for Students

Many students might groan and roll their eyes if asked to participate in these activities, but they do have significant benefits. Furthermore, many teachers might be loath to take the time to conduct these activities, although they bring with them enormous gains. Benefits of team-building activities for students include:

Provide a common experience among peers

Allow students to feel more comfortable in group settings

Require students to develop communication skills through conversations

Encourage students to learn academic content with and from one another

5 Fun Team-Building Activities for Students  

It’s critical to help develop students’ social interaction skills, which can easily be done in the classroom through team-building activities. When team-building activities are used routinely in classrooms, the classroom space becomes a shared, safe zone where students feel comfortable and ready to learn. These short games not only allow students to gain valuable skills but also develop empathy and often improve their self-esteem. 

Most activities should only take between five and ten minutes and can be used once or on multiple occasions. Classroom time is valuable, and these activities are designed to minimize time and maximize outcomes.

Activity #1– Make a Burger

Class time: 5–10 minutes, group size: 5–7 students, resources needed: burger template cut out into pieces, tape, skills focus: teamwork, trust-building.

This is a rather quick and silly team-building activity for high school students. Instruct the class that they are to work in groups to make a full hamburger that starts with a bun, and that has pickle, lettuce, tomato, cheese, meat, and another bun in that order. Tape one ingredient onto each student’s back and instruct students to work together to find all the necessary ingredients and then line up in order. The first group to do so correctly wins.

You can either play silently, or you can tell students to say what ingredient is on their backs, but instead only provide hints.

Academic Focus: Replay this game using vocabulary words and definitions, planet names, math problems and solutions, and so on.

Activity #2– Vocab Improv

Group size: any range between five students and a full class, resources needed: list of academic vocabulary to use, example video, skills focus: trust building.

Have students stand in a circle. The first student chooses a subject-related word and acts out a motion that corresponds with the word’s meaning in some way. The rest of the students in the group then echo the word and the motion together. The next student in the group chooses a new word and acts out a corresponding motion. The rest of the students then echo that word and motion, followed by the first student’s word and motion. This sequence repeats until all students in the group have their own word and motion and have reiterated everyone else’s word and motion.

To begin the game, the first student says his/her word and motion and then says another student’s word and motion. That student must say his/her word and motion and pick another student’s word and motion.

The game repeats until a called-upon student cannot recall another’s word and motion fast enough (three seconds) and is “out.” When only two people are left, both are winners.

Caveat: no student can reiterate the previous student’s word and motion.

Academic Focus: By creating motions tied to academic vocabulary and reiterating these words and motions numerous times, students develop deep connections to these words.

Try playing this game throughout the year, and have students use their peers’ previous words and motions to call upon them, as well as current words and motions.

Activity #3– Best Parts of Our School

Class time: 5–20 minutes (each part of this activity can take place on a separate day), group size: 4–6 students, resources needed: best parts of our school handout, skills focus: teamwork, leadership.

Often, students feel disgruntled about school, so this team-building activity for high school students encourages everyone to look for the positive, rather than the negative.

First, each individual should complete the top of the handout, listing three specific aspects of the school they like. Then, assign students to groups of approximately four to six, making sure that students work with people they do not know well, rather than simply working with friends. Have the students each share three ideas in their groups, and then work together to choose which ones to include in a group list of five positive aspects about their school. Next, each group selects a representative to go to the board to write down his or her group’s list.

Finally, the representatives work with the whole class in order to combine the top five lists into one class-wide top ten list. Try to post this list so students remember both working together and the positive aspects of school!

Academic Focus: Ask students to use academic vocabulary in their lists or to utilize strong writing techniques, such as action verbs or figurative language, when creating each point.

Activity #4– Create a Vocabulary Game Board

Class time: 10–60 minutes (each part of this activity can take place on a separate day), group size: 2–3 students, resources needed: activity directions, game board instruction sheet, two game board templates, game piece template, blank game cards.

Students love to play board games, so asking them to design their own provides them with a new and exciting challenge. Have students work together, possibly by formatively assessing their understanding of a concept and then grouping them in high-medium-low understanding groups. Alternatively, grouping them in like-understanding (all highs, all mediums, all lows) partnerships can also allow for thoughtful outcomes.

Have students discuss and agree upon an overall theme for the game, then complete each aspect of the board game including:

Activity Directions

Game Board Instruction Sheet

Two Game Board Templates

Game Piece Template

Blank Game Cards

Academic Focus: Take any unit that needs further review or understanding and ask students to create a board game that highlights various aspects of the concept.

Activity #5– Your Enigmatic Self

Class time: 5 minutes (spread out over multiple days), group size: 3–4 students, resources needed: enigmatic self handout.

Students write down three aspects of themselves that no one else knows. Assign students to groups of three or four and ask them to read their information to each other.

Each day, have one member of the group read all of the group’s fact sheets to begin the class and have the rest of the students guess which group member is which. Have students celebrate one another’s unique selves, and make sure to reiterate the need to respect each other.

Academic focus: Encourage students to use academic vocabulary when describing themselves.

How to Ensure Team-Building Activities Are a Success

In order for activities to be successful, classroom leaders must establish clear expectations.

INSIST ON A SAFE ZONE The most important aspect of team-building activities is that they demonstrate that the classroom is a safe zone. When working through the team-building activities with students, I emphasize my number one rule, which is mutual respect and acceptance. Students must remain positive and respectful toward their fellow learners, and that includes me!

ESTABLISH TRUST TO BUILD COMMUNITY In a classroom, a sense of community is vital in order for students to produce authentic writing, receive constructive feedback from peers, and have meaningful discussions. Emphasizing in each activity the importance of trusting one another, classroom leaders build a sense of classroom community.

EMPHASIZE EMPATHY AND ESTEEM These team-building activities encourage students to empathize with their classmates who may be different from them and will also help to build up their own self-esteem as they work with others. Classroom leaders must stress the need for students to learn from one another and to respect the similarities and differences that all of their classmates bring to each activity.

ENCOURAGE LEARNING I always like to ensure that there is an academic purpose to all aspects of classroom activities, so, as a classroom leader, I ask students to use academic vocabulary and utilize their prior learned knowledge during discussions.

(SOMETIMES) FRAME AS A COMPETITION Finally, if a classroom leader faces significant resistance from students, framing the activity as a challenge or competition can motivate them. Do remember to emphasize that the competition or challenge being carried out can be completed by everyone and that respect and ethical behavior are paramount, as some students may attempt to cheat in order to win.

The Best Time to Use Team-Building Activities

Team-building activities can happen throughout the school year. They can be used for a myriad of reasons and for a multitude of purposes.

Some classroom leaders may want to use these activities at the beginning of the school year in order to establish a classroom culture and then continue to use activities once or twice a quarter to re-establish concepts, review learning, or deepen rapport.

Other teachers may use them later in the year or at the start of the second semester in order to re-focus a classroom or for a specific unit of study.

Alternatively, classroom leaders can employ team-building activities at the end of the year to encourage more authentic peer review for assignments or as a new challenge for students.

In Conclusion

Team-building is fun and has a huge number of benefits, from developing classroom community to reinforcing academic concepts. Each of the five team-building activities allows students to learn with and from each other and deepens connections between peers.

As students become more and more disconnected from their peers and their learning because they spend much of their time on social media, team-building activities are a great way to reconnect students to their school and to their education and to have fun while doing so.

20 Best Summer Leadership Programs For High School Students

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 4/26/24

Summer opens up a world of opportunities for high school students, offering the perfect backdrop to ignite passions, master new skills, and pave the way for future success.

At the heart of this exciting season are leadership programs for high school students—your gateway to unlocking potential and shaping tomorrow's leaders. These experiences are specially designed to enhance vital skills such as effective communication, teamwork, innovative problem-solving, and critical thinking. 

From ethical, organizational, and social leadership, these programs and camps immerse students in the art of leadership, providing a well-rounded perspective on how to lead with confidence and impact in today's fast-paced world. 

Jump in and see how you can make this summer a time for growth, become a leader, and explore endless opportunities!

20 Best High School Leadership Summer Programs

Check out our list of 20 leadership programs for high school students who want to be leaders. To help you determine which one is right for you, we’ll explore what each program is about and how you can join.

1. Brown University Pre-College Leadership Institute

Location : Providence, Rhode Island

Program Length : Typically one to two weeks

Cost : Varies by course; financial aid is available for those who qualify

Eligibility : High school students from around the world

Start Date : Dates vary depending on the course

Application Deadline : Applications typically start in the winter with rolling admissions

The Brown University Pre-College Leadership Institute offers high school students the opportunity to develop and refine their leadership skills through interactive workshops, seminars, and group projects. 

Participants engage in topics such as ethical decision-making, diversity and inclusion, and social entrepreneurship. The program aims to empower students to become effective leaders in their communities and future careers.

2. Harvard Summer School's Secondary School Program

Location : Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Program Length : Seven weeks

Cost : Varies by course selection and housing option; financial aid is available

Eligibility : Students completing grades 9-12

Start Date : Summer, usually in June

Application Deadline : Typically in March or April

Harvard's Secondary School Program allows high school students to experience college life while taking courses alongside college students. Participants can choose from over 200 courses in a variety of disciplines, including arts, sciences, technology, and humanities. 

3. National Student Leadership Conference 

Location : Varies depending on the program 

Program Length : One week

Cost : Varies

Eligibility : High school students

Start Date : Multiple sessions depending on program and location

Application Deadline : Varies based on program. NSLC accepts applications past deadlines if space or waitlist spots are open, as shown on the online application.

The National Student Leadership Conference provides an immersive pre-college experience that prepares students for life beyond middle and high school, allowing them to study in university classrooms, learn to navigate the campus, and experience living with roommates. 

Students are able to explore a career concentration they are interested in before going into college and declaring a major. Each NSLC program also contains a leadership curriculum designed to teach skills that can apply to all areas of life.

4. Stanford University Summer Camp

Location : Stanford, California, USA

Program Length : Typically two-four weeks

Cost : Varies; financial assistance may be available

Eligibility : Students in grades 9-11 or 10-12, depending on the program

Start Date : Summer, with specific dates depending on the program

Application Deadline : Usually in February or March

Stanford University offers various summer camps for high school students, focusing on subjects ranging from business and entrepreneurship to science and engineering. 

These programs provide hands-on learning experiences, access to Stanford faculty, and the chance to explore potential career paths. Leadership, innovation, and creativity are key components across all camps.

5. MIT Summer Camp

Location : Varies on program and location

Program Length : Typically four–six weeks

Cost : Varies depending on the program however, many programs are free or low-cost

Eligibility : High school students, specific requirements vary based on program 

Start Date : Usually June or July

Application Deadline : Typically in February

MIT's summer programs for high school students cover a wide range of STEM subjects, including mathematics, science, and engineering. 

Participants engage in challenging coursework, laboratory experiments, and team projects designed to enhance their problem-solving skills and understanding of complex concepts. The camp encourages innovation and aims to prepare students for careers in STEM fields.

6. Student Conservation Association (SCA) High School Crews

Location : National parks, forests, and urban green spaces across the United States

Program Length : Varies from one to several weeks

Cost : Free

Eligibility : High school students interested in environmental conservation

Start Date : Varies by program and location

Application Deadline : Varies by specific program

The SCA High School Crews program offers high school students the opportunity to participate in conservation projects across the United States. This program combines environmental education with hands-on service work, aiming to build the next generation of conservation leaders.

7. Boston Leadership Institute

Program Length : Offers one-week sessions and three-week session programs

Cost : Varies by program; financial aid may be available

Eligibility : Students aged 13–18 with a strong academic record

Start Date : Varies by program and session

Application Deadline : Rolling admissions; early application is encouraged

The Boston Leadership Institute offers STEM summer programs for high school students interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. 

Programs range from one to three weeks and cover topics such as biomedical and surgical research, engineering, and marine biology. Hands-on lab experiences and research projects are central to the curriculum.

8. Bank of America Student Leaders Program

Location : Washington, DC 

Program Length : Eight weeks Internship 

Cost : Free; participants also receive a stipend

Eligibility : High school juniors and seniors in the U.S. with a commitment to community service

Start Date : July 22, 2024

Application Deadline : Typically in January

Student Leaders will engage in an eight-week paid internship at a local nonprofit organization, gaining firsthand insight into their community's needs and the vital role of nonprofits. Additionally, they will acquire valuable civic, social, and business leadership skills. 

Each Student Leader will participate in the Student Leaders Summit in Washington , D.C., where they will learn about the collaboration between government, business, and the nonprofit sector in addressing critical community needs.

9. Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) Seminars

Location : Various locations across the United States

Cost : <$500

Eligibility : High school students, ages 14–18

Start Date : Sessions in April, May, June

Application Deadline : Varies by state

HOBY's State Leadership Seminar (LS) is crafted for high school sophomores to uncover and utilize their leadership skills for positive influence within their homes, schools, and communities. 

Through engaging, interactive sessions over three to four days, participants discover their potential, understand their place in the world, and connect with peers, forming valuable networks and friendships. Post-seminar, they emerge equipped with the confidence and insight needed for impactful leadership.

10. Economics for Leaders (EFL) - Foundation for Teaching Economics

Location : Multiple university campuses across the USA

Cost : Varies; financial aid is available

Eligibility : Current high school sophomores and juniors

Start Date : Various start dates throughout the summer

Application Deadline : Varies by location; typically in early spring

Economics for Leaders is a selective summer program that combines principles of economic reasoning with leadership training. High school students learn about decision-making, market economics, and the impact of economic policies on societies and individuals. 

The program emphasizes real-world applications of economics and develops leadership skills through group activities and simulations.

11. Ronald Reagan Student Leadership Program 

Location : Washington, D.C.

Program Length : One-week

Cost : $750

Start Date : June 17, July 8 and July 29

Application Deadline : March 1, 2024

The Ronald Reagan Student Leadership Program (SLP) - Leadership in Action, offers high school students a distinctive five-day experience at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum. The program is a deep dive into leadership through the prism of one of the most esteemed Presidential Libraries in the U.S.

Participants engage in practical leadership activities, collaborate with peers, and gain insights into the historical and value-driven legacy of Ronald Reagan. A highlight of the program is the development of a Leadership Action Plan (LAP), where students, guided by community mentors, craft strategies for positive community impact.

12. Leadership in the Business World (LBW) at University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School

Location : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Program Length : Four weeks

Cost : Approximately $7,995 (subject to change; financial aid available)

Eligibility : Rising high school seniors

Start Date : July

Application Deadline : Early February

‍ Leadership in the Business World is offered by the Wharton School, this program introduces high school students to the fundamentals of leadership in the context of business and entrepreneurship. 

Participants attend lectures by Wharton faculty, engage in team projects, and visit businesses to learn about management, finance, marketing, and business ethics. The program aims to prepare future leaders in the business world.

13. Telluride Association Summer Programs (TASP)

Location : Hosted at different universities each year 

Program Length : Six weeks

Cost : Free including tuition, room, board, and books

Eligibility : High school juniors

Start Date : Late June

Application Deadline : Early January

The Telluride Association Summer Programs (TASP) are educational programs for high school juniors. They focus on discussion-based learning in topics like philosophy, history, and literature, led by college faculty. TASPs encourage students to think critically, work together, and take part in community service. 

The program is for students who love to learn and think deeply. It's competitive, with selection based on essays and recommendations. All costs, including meals, housing, and books, are covered, making it accessible to all students regardless of financial background.

14. Yale Young Global Scholars (YYGS) 

Location : New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Program Length : Two weeks

Cost : Approximately $6,300 for the 2023 session; need-based financial aid is available

Eligibility : High school sophomores or juniors at the time of application

Start Date : Multiple sessions in June and July

Application Deadline : Early January or early February

Yale Young Global Scholars is a rigorous academic summer program that brings together outstanding high school students from around the world at Yale University. 

The program offers interdisciplinary courses that encourage students to explore complex global issues through lectures, seminars, and group projects. YYGS covers topics across STEM, social sciences, humanities, and the arts, aiming to develop leaders and critical thinkers. 

15. The University of Notre Dame Leadership Seminars

Location : Notre Dame, Indiana, USA

Program Length : 10 days

Cost : Free, includes tuition, housing, meals, and transportation

Eligibility : Current high school juniors

The University of Notre Dame Leadership Seminars are intensive programs focusing on global issues, ethics, and leadership. High school students engage in discussions, seminars, and group projects, led by Notre Dame faculty. 

Topics vary each year but often include global affairs, science and society, and moral debates. The program is designed to challenge students intellectually while fostering leadership skills.

16. Princeton University Summer Journalism Program

Location : Princeton, New Jersey, USA

Cost : Free, including travel, lodging, and meals

Eligibility : High-achieving juniors from low-income backgrounds

Start Date : August

The Princeton University Summer Journalism Program is a 10-day, all-expenses-paid program for high-achieving, low-income high school juniors interested in journalism and media. Participants attend workshops led by journalists, report on real events, and produce a newspaper. 

The program aims to diversify the field of journalism by empowering students with the skills, knowledge, and networking opportunities necessary to pursue a career in journalism.

17. United States Naval Academy Summer Seminar (NASS)

Location : Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Program Length : One-week 

Cost : Approximately $650 plus travel expenses

Start Date : Multiple sessions run throughout June

Application Deadline : Typically in January or February 

The United States Naval Academy Summer Seminar (NASS) offers a challenging, one-week introduction to life at the Naval Academy for rising high school seniors. Through rigorous physical, academic, and leadership training, students get a taste of the Naval Academy experience. 

The program includes exposure to engineering, science, and humanities courses, physical training, and leadership development.

18. Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program

Location : Various locations across the United States; some programs may be offered virtually

Program Length : Two weeks (virtual) or six weeks (in-person)

Eligibility : High school students who identify as female or non-binary, no previous coding experience required

Start Date : Varies, typically starts in June or July

Application Deadline: Varies, often in early spring (March or April)

Girls Who Code offers high school girls and non-binary students free virtual Summer Programs to learn computer science and prepare for tech careers. Choose from a two-week immersive game design course or a six-week self-paced exploration of tech's biggest topics. 

No prior coding experience is needed. Participants benefit from professional networking, financial grants, tech support, and a global community, all aimed at fostering a supportive environment and opening doors to future opportunities in technology.

19. The Junior Statesmen Summer School (JSA)

Location : Varies depending on the program

Program Length : Varies depending on the program

Eligibility : High school students interested in politics and government

Start Date : Varies by program location, generally in June or July

Application Deadline : Rolling admissions, but early application is encouraged (typically by March or April for the best chance of admission)

The JSA provides a comprehensive exploration of American government, politics, and public speaking in a collegiate setting. 

Drawing on elements from the Burd Institute on Media & Politics, Young Women’s Leadership Institute, and Stern Civics Immersion Program, JSA offers university-level courses, workshops, debates, and simulations aimed at developing leadership skills and deepening understanding of democracy. 

Students engage with journalism fundamentals, learn the importance of leadership, and tackle pressing societal issues through a blend of lectures, content creation, and problem-solving activities, all while interacting with professionals and leaders in the field.

20. Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) 

Location : Washington, D.C., and New York City, NY

Program Length : Approximately 10 days

Cost : Varies; scholarships may be available

Eligibility : High school students from around the world, ages 15-19

Start Date : Typically in July or August

Application Deadline : Various deadlines

The Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC) is a leadership development program that provides a unique forum for young leaders from around the globe to explore global challenges and cultural differences. 

The program includes seminars, workshops, and cultural exchanges, focusing on diplomacy, international relations, and the role of the United Nations. Participants develop leadership skills, self-confidence, and a better understanding of the complexities of the global community.

Welcome to our FAQ section, offering guidance on leadership programs for high school students, including application processes, eligibility criteria, and the leadership skills these programs aim to cultivate.

1. How Can High School Students Apply for Leadership Camps, and What Is the Selection Process?

High school students can apply for leadership camps by submitting an application through the program's website, which typically includes personal information, academic records, recommendation letters, and essays. 

The selection process varies by program but generally involves evaluating the applicant's leadership potential, academic achievements, and extracurricular involvement.

2. Are There Specific Eligibility Criteria for High School Students to Attend These Camps?

Yes, most leadership camps have specific eligibility criteria, including age or grade level requirements, academic standing, and sometimes prerequisites in related subjects or activities. It's important to review these criteria carefully before applying.

3. What Leadership Skills Are Emphasized During the Camp?

Leadership camps emphasize a variety of skills, including effective communication, ethical decision-making, team collaboration, problem-solving, and adaptability. These skills are cultivated through a mix of theoretical learning, practical exercises, and reflective activities.

Final Thoughts

Leadership programs for high school students during the summer offer a unique chance to develop essential skills, gain valuable insights, and get ready for future challenges. 

By joining these summer leadership programs, students not only improve their leadership abilities but also lay a solid groundwork for success in college and their careers. 

Get A Free Consultation

You may also like.

When Do AP Scores Come Out? AP Score Release Date 2024!

25 Best Economics Schools in US - 2024 Ranking & Fees

One School Leader Banned Cellphones, the Other Embraced Them. What Worked?

• Share article

Many educators will tell you that cellphones are a source of serious academic, mental health, and behavioral problems for students. And school leaders are struggling to figure out how to deal with the cellphone problem, especially as younger and younger students get their own devices.

Developing a workable school cellphone policy is no easy task as major constituents are often at odds: teachers may want them gone while students want unfettered access to them. Parents are often divided, with some wanting to minimize distractions in class while others like the security of being able to reach their kids during the school day.

In response to these challenges, Education Week reached out to two school leaders, one in a school that requires students to lock their phones up all day, and the other in a school that encourages students to use their phones for learning in class. Both leaders claim that their approaches are working.

A middle school ban because cellphones were ‘the ultimate distraction’

Charles Longshore is the assistant principal of Dothan Preparatory Academy in Dothan, Ala. His school serves 1,200 7th and 8th grade students.

Longshore said that while he sees academic value in cellphones, he also sees that life has placed a lot of hurdles in front of his students, and that cellphones had become another one getting in the way of learning.

“We often have kids who are 7th graders who are functioning academically at 2nd and 3rd grade levels and we’re trying to jump them [ahead academically],” he said.

Cellphones weren’t just a distraction in Dothan classrooms—they were seriously undermining the school’s climate, said Longshore. Students were arguing more, and Longshore said increasing amounts of his time was spent managing discipline referrals.

A particular thorn in Dothan administrators’ sides was an anonymous Instagram account that had been created to spread school rumors, he said.

“We were never able to figure out who created it, Instagram would not help us, we appealed to them to take it down and they never would,” he said. “It was students saying, ‘so and so did this,’ or ‘so and so did that,’ or has this condition. And they would post pictures. They might be like, ‘look at what she’s wearing!’ [snapping] a picture of them in gym. Is it feasible for us to stop and check 150 kids in P.E. to see who took the photo?”

Problems that arise from cellphones and social media are difficult to police, Longshore said. It’s often one student’s word against another, or one student’s complaint against an anonymous person who posted something online.

Longshore said that adolescents have unique developmental struggles that made the situation in his school untenable.

“Self-management is one of our biggest concerns—I think COVID had a lot to do with that,” he said. “Not having that structure, I think played a role. But our population being in that rough transitional phase in their lives in general, what their minds are going through, their bodies are going through, socially what they are going through, [cellphones] were the ultimate distraction.”

That’s why administrators at Dothan decided to bar students from using cellphones during the school day, starting this school year. Students place their cellphones in individual lockboxes in their homerooms at the beginning of the day. Their homeroom teacher keeps the key to each lockbox. Students return to their homeroom for the last class period and retrieve their phones a few minutes before the final bell. That way, Longshore said, students have their phones for afterschool activities and to walk home—which makes parents more comfortable.

There are caveats to the policy, said Longshore. A few students with special needs, like those with diabetes who use their phones to monitor their blood sugar levels, can keep their devices throughout the day.

The majority of parents support the policy now and students have come to accept it, said Longshore.

The biggest challenge with the cellphone policy came before it was enacted, Longshore said. When they announced it last summer, there was pushback and a lot of misinformation—but it was nothing a couple of community forums couldn’t smooth over, he said.

The results have been extremely promising, Longshore said. He can see tangible improvements to the school’s climate. Behavioral referrals have gone down by about 20 percent. And he believes he will see improvements in students’ academic performance as well, once state test results are released.

Longshore doesn’t think Dothan’s cellphone policy is the answer for every school. High school students, for example, may be mature enough to manage their own cellphone use, and having the devices in class could be beneficial for some classroom assignments.

But for his middle schoolers, Longshore believes this policy is the right one.

A high school that encourages students to use cellphones as learning tools

In Douglass County, Colo., Chris Page is the principal of Highlands Ranch High School, which serves about 1,400 students.

In his school, students are allowed to use their phones throughout the day and are even encouraged to do so. Page had tried banning cellphones at one point, he said, but that lasted for only about a month.

“There are 100,000 ways that kids use their cellphones and the other half of this is that it’s hard to tell a kid not to use their cellphone when the adult in front of them has to use theirs,” he said. “We decided we just weren’t going to fight that fight anymore.”

Page encourages teachers to use students’ cellphones as tools in their teaching. The school provides periodic professional development throughout the year to teachers on how they can leverage the devices in their instruction—whether it be to have students look up additional information in class, access materials, use online calculators, or make videos for class projects. From science teachers to music teachers, cellphones present a lot of helpful opportunities for educators, Page said.

“We use it in our choir. Our choir teacher now makes it a recommendation that the kids have to find their pitch on their own without using the piano, [...] they use their phone to play a G or B cord for them,” Page said. “It’s allowed us a little more freedom in our teaching space. In our school we have two outdoor classrooms, so it’s given us more freedom to teach in better, more unique spaces instead of trapped [in] the classroom with all of the Chromebooks because that’s the only technology we have.”

The cellphone policy isn’t a total free-for-all, Page emphasized. Even though teachers are encouraged to find uses for students’ cellphones, they ultimately have the authority to make the rules for their own classrooms and can tell students to put away their phones at any time, Page said.

If kids use their phones inappropriately—such as a student ignoring a teacher who has asked for the phone to be put away—they get two warnings before the teacher is allowed to confiscate the phone. Students can retrieve it from Page’s office later.

The school is also using more technology that requires students to have cellphones, said Page.

School administrators also frequently communicate important information to students on social media—for instance, all updates regarding this year’s prom are posted on the school’s Instagram account. Page even hosted a schoolwide scavenger hunt this year where he dropped clues on Instagram.

And the school is adopting digital ID badges which will require students to use their phones, Page said. The pandemic changed his school’s relationships with technology.

“Just like most people in the country, technology became so much of a necessity,” Page said. “When COVID hit, [after] our dive into technology, we chose not to come out of the pool, and we decided to keep utilizing the technology in our classrooms.”

Overall, Page said the policy has been working well, even with some of the challenges it creates—such as kids constantly reaching out to their parents during the school day instead of taking their issues to the school counselor. The school also has to have a supply of iPads on hand for those students who forget their phones so they can still participate in class activities.

And, Page admits, cellphones can still cause distractions—he used an example of a student ordering lunch from Uber Eats during class.

But he said the school hasn’t descended into anarchy either. Only about 10 times a year, Page estimates, do students get their cellphones taken away from them.

The way Page sees it is that cellphones are here to stay and it’s the job of a high school to teach students how to use them productively.

“We are in the business of preparing kids for the next step,” he said. “There aren’t many college campuses that have no cellphones whatsoever. It’s about responsible use, and we have a duty to teach kids about responsible use.”

Sign Up for EdWeek Tech Leader

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

Sandy Springs school issues statement after Hitler assignment controversy

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A metro Atlanta school is responding to backlash to a controversial assignment.

Parents are fuming and questioning the Mount Vernon School in Sandy Springs after their kids were asked about Hitler’s leadership.

The assignment asked students to rate the attributes of the former Nazi dictator. The school now acknowledges this caused distress and the assignment has now been removed from the curriculum.

Head of School Kristy Lundstrom sent the following statement to Mount Vernon parents:

Copyright 2024 WANF. All rights reserved.

Jimmy Carter doing OK, but nearing the end, grandson says

3 teens killed, 2 others injured in Alpharetta crash, officials say

Cedar Point says new Top Thrill 2 coaster is closed indefinitely just days after opening

3 shot during filming of music video in northwest Atlanta, police say

‘I miss her so much’: Shooting victim’s sister wants city to shut down ‘not safe’ Buckhead nightclub

Latest news.

One of the 3 teens killed in Alpharetta crash identified as high school senior, officials say

Passengers flee down emergency slides after Delta plane catches fire

Atlanta Dream open WNBA season against Los Angeles Sparks

Closing arguments begin in trial for man accused in 2016 Henry County quadruple murders

Local News | Kirtland Middle School holds first Screen-Free…

Share this:.

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Share via SMS (Opens in new window)
• Lake County
• Geauga County
• Cuyahoga County
• Opioid Epidemic

Local News | Kirtland Middle School holds first Screen-Free Week

Principal Bob Race said that the effects of the Screen-Free Week could be seen in student conversations. He said that students discussed things like their plans for the future at the end of class instead of going on their computers.

“I talked to a few students and they said that they really enjoyed it; others said it was a struggle but they still enjoyed parts of it, but the conversations that were taking place in class, when students would finish work, were pretty awesome,” Race said.

“Whether it was inside school or outside school, a lot of talk was, ‘I know how to talk with people again,’” he added later.

Students also reported the social effects of putting their devices away for a week.

“We were able to connect with each other more, and we got to talk to our teachers more instead of just on our computer,” said eighth-grade student and Student Leadership Council member Harper Lasecki.

“I think no-screen week kind of helped people just get away from the screens and be closer with people,” added sixth-grade student Carolina Heller.

Sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher Andreha O’Donnell said that the week provided students with fewer distractions and helped them slow down.

“I think that not having that temptation to go on the screen all the time to finish something quickly, to move onto another task, was beneficial in just really supporting that kind of slow, reflective aspect,” O’Donnell said.

Race said that students also practiced problem-solving skills.

“One of the kids was like, ‘I don’t know what to do, because usually I Google what should I do and then I work with that,’” he said. “So they actually worked with groups, and they brainstormed and they problem-solved to eventually get to the end.”

Race said that Screen-Free Week also provided students with opportunities to grow in other areas. Some students who could not read analog clocks or sign their names in cursive at the start of the week learned or practiced those skills, and they also learned to lower their volume levels.

“It was wild, like as the week progressed, they started to develop these skills,” he said.

“I think it was good for them to realize that there’s a use for the technology, but a little blend of each – we try to do blended learning here with some tech and some hands-on, a mixture of it,” added science and wellness teacher JP Moran. “So I think, you know, everything in moderation.”

Teachers also adjusted their lesson plans for Screen-Free Week. Even the school’s tech class used papers and pencils to discuss technological concepts, Race said.

Moran added that students in his science class completed hands-on labs to identify different rocks and minerals.

Race said that teachers and students also played different non-computer games during the school day, including a musical chairs game related to that day’s English concepts and a board game version of the Oregon Trail video game. Teachers also took students out to the football field for breaks.

He estimated that around 85 to 90 percent of grade six and seven students participated, though he did not know how many students limited device use at home. He added that around half of eighth-grade students tried to limit at-home use.

“As soon as the school day would end, I would see a lot of them on their phone, but all in all, I was happy with how the kids participated with it at the school. It was great to see, and I think they got something out of it that was really positive,” he said.

Students were not the only ones who attempted to limit their device usage.

“Even for myself, I was struggling, I think I pulled my phone out of my back pocket day one, first hour, like 15 times,” Race said.

“On Wednesday, I noticed that I wasn’t constantly grabbing it, I was leaving it in my office,” he added later. “It wasn’t on me at all times, which was a cool thing, because I was developing skills that I had had in the past.”

Race said that the idea for the week came after he was part of a technology meeting with the school’s Student Leadership Council.

“We just asked, they were like, ‘Do you get tired of using your Chromebooks?’” he said. “And all their hands shot up, so all 17 of them quickly, me and the tech director, Mr. (Greg) Cosimi, were like, ‘Wow,’ that was kind of surprising, and so we kind of brainstormed a little bit.”

While students are supposed to keep their phones in their lockers during the school day, Race said that most student work has been completed on computers since the COVID-19 pandemic.

He added that when the pandemic started in March 2020, the current middle school classes would have been in grades two-four.

“Through those developmental years where they were transitioning to that freedom, they were stuck in their six-foot quadrants behind their little dividers, and so, there was a lot of social – there’s a lot of social anxiety with that group, just because they developed these habits of, ‘I’m on my own, I’m isolated,’” Race said.

“During those first growing years where the teachers usually spend a lot of time allowing them to switch between two classes, kids moving throughout the groups, that stuff didn’t happen, so, that portion of it was addressed throughout the week,” he added.

Some of the sixth-grade students said that they have been using tablets or Google Chromebooks in school since kindergarten.

The school provided students and parents with a list of recommended alternatives to digital device usage throughout the week. It also encouraged parents to sponsor their students to raise funds for equipment in new science, technology, engineering and math electives next year.

Race said that he plans to bring the event back next year. He added that the high school and elementary school are also planning screen-free events.

The school news release said that high device usage can play be a factor in obesity and issues with sleep problems, attention and social interaction.

More in Local News

Local News | Laketran observing ‘National Bike to Work Day’ May 17 with free rides

SUBSCRIBER ONLY

Local news | yogi’s closet boutique brings flowers to willoughby.

Crime and Public Safety | Former West Geauga student who brought gun to school sentenced for attempted aggravated murder

Mentor has open seat on Board of Building and Zoning Appeals

• Herald Editorials
• Local Guest Opinions
• High School Sports
• National Sports
• Local Business
• Sunday Drive
• Home And Garden
• Sanpete County
• Today’s Paper
• Manage Your Subscription
• Submit News
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• Statement of Values
• Browse Notices
• Place Notice

Lehi High School teacher hospitalized after classroom accident

By curtis booker - | may 10, 2024.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

A Lehi High School teacher was taken to a hospital Friday afternoon after being injured during a class assignment.

In a statement emailed to the Daily Herald, the Alpine School District called it “an unfortunate and tragic accident.” Officials did not specify exactly what led to the injury but confirmed that no students were hurt.

According to the district, the accident happened in a classroom in the school’s agriculture building, which is detached from the main campus that houses Career and Technical Education classrooms.

The Lehi police and fire departments responded to the school early Friday afternoon following the incident. The teacher was flown by medical helicopter to receive care. School district officials did not identify the teacher or provide information about their condition other than to say the male educator remains in the hospital.

The district said it notified parents of the incident and offered resources of support services and crisis counseling to students who are struggling with what they witnessed.

In its statement, the district said:

“We extend our deepest concern to the teacher and their family during this difficult time. We are grateful that no students were injured in the accident and we appreciate the swift and professional response from Lehi Fire and Police. We continue to work with our first responder partners to make sure our school community is safe and informed.”

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

• Daily Newsletter
• Breaking News
• Deals, Offers & Events

Dan Hemmert drops out of state Senate race, leaving Rep. Stratton as sole Republican running

Dozens of law professors say Utah failed to protect Great Salt Lake

• Admitted Students
• New & Incoming Students
• Current Students
• High School Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Parents & Families
• Community & Partners
• Self-Service
• Wolfgram Library
• Undergrad/First-Year Visit
• Graduate Studies Visit
• Adult & Cont. Studies Visit
• Undergrad/First-Year Request
• Graduate Studies Request
• Adult & Cont. Studies Request
• Undergrad/First-Year Apply
• Graduate Studies Apply
• Adult & Cont. Studies Apply

Meet the 2024 President’s Award Winner

• Widener Newsroom

A few days ahead of commencement, Leo-Paul Wahl is outside of Metro Hall for a graduation photo in front of the university seal on the building’s façade. 

The biomedical engineering student, in keeping with the commencement theme, donned his cap, stoles and cords, each representing his academic and extracurricular achievements. 

After a few minutes of carefully and thoughtfully putting on each stole and cord – 15 in total -- Wahl proudly smiled. His remarkable undergraduate career at Widener, marked by academic excellence and service to others, had come to an end.

Wahl is the winner of the 2024 President’s Award. 

The prestigious award recognizes a graduating senior on the Chester campus who has contributed the most to campus life through scholarship and participation in extracurricular activities. 

“For me a lot of it ties into being able to give back and be a part of something that's larger than just yourself as an individual,” said Wahl, who is enrolled in the 4+1 biomedical engineering program.

Community service has played an integral part of Wahl’s life. Coming to Widener allowed Wahl to build on that foundation and get involved in organizations, including fraternal organizations and honor societies, that shared in his values to serve others.

“That's what drew me to some of the fraternities that I'm involved in,” said Wahl, president of both Phi Delta Theta and Alpha Phi Omega.

He continued, saying that he was attracted to “the community service aspects, implementing the aspects of them, as well as just being able to give back and be involved with organizations that shares a lot of the same values and principles that I want to incorporate into my life and sort of the way I live my day-to-day.”

His involvement and leadership roles extended into nearly all corners of campus. 

Wahl was a Center for Civic Engagement Scholar, Student Government Association Senator, Resident Assistant, University Ambassador, and a C.R.E.W. Leader all while maintaining top grades, earning him both engineering honors and advanced honors in general education. 

Reflecting on his college experience, Wahl said he learned the importance of time management and how to balance academics and extracurriculars with passion projects and work-study jobs. 

For instance, Wahl worked for UPS as part of its tuition reimbursement program during his junior year. He was assigned the graveyard shift at the Philadelphia Airport loading and unloading cargo planes from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. 

“Working to pay for school and to pay to live off campus was valuable and helped me to make sure that I was spending my time being involved with either organizations or my academics and my research in a way that was meaningful,” said Wahl.

The grueling hours paid off when Wahl was chosen for the SMART Scholar program through the Department of Defense. The highly-competitive program, an acronym for Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation, provides an annual stipend, sponsored internships, and full tuition which covered Wahl’s final year and graduate program costs.

“It's a rewarding feeling seeing the work and effort that you put in sort of coming to fruition,” Wahl said.  The scholarship also guarantees employment with the DOD after graduation. 

Wahl will be stationed in the non-ionizing radiation division at Aberdeen Proving Ground South, a U.S. Army facility near Baltimore. The role will position Wahl to innovate national security technologies and serve the greater good through the DOD’s civilian workforce.

Looking back on all that he has accomplished, Wahl continues to put others first and encourages his peers to find ways to leave a legacy of service. 

“My advice for any student would be to make sure that you’re putting your time into things that you're passionate about and being involved in organizations and with people who share the same values that you hold dear and try to live your life by.”

Celebrate Commencement 2024  

• University Awards & Accolades
• Student Experience & Success

You May Also Like

Engineering Secures Nearly $500,000 to Fund Innovation and Student Research

Nearly half of a million dollars in grants will fund undergraduate and graduate research to advance innovations from self-driving sensing technologies to sustainable low-carbon construction materials.

Widener University Recognizes Area Students at 13th Annual High School Leadership Awards

Widener University, in partnership with NBC10 and Telemundo62, honored the winners of the 13th annual Widener University High School Leadership Awards during a ceremony at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

Widener University named a 2023 "Great College to Work For”

Widener University has earned 2023 "Great College to Work For" recognition in four categories by The Chronicle of Higher Education, highlighting faculty and staff satisfaction and university leadership quality.