Periodically, in 7/8th grade, Ms Mariner assigns homework that does not directly pertain to the class' current studies, but ties to the PNA mission, its culture, or philosophy. Martin Luther King Day was an excellent time to talk about leadership. Students listened to the TED Talk Radio Hour on "Disruptive Leadership". Questions addressed by disruptive leaders like General Stanley McChrystal, Sheryl Sandberg, and Drew Dudley were: How Do Leaders Deal With Failure? How Do We Cultivate Women Leaders? Can Grandmothers Change The World? Have You Changed Someone's Life Without Realizing It? Can Ordinary People Become Leaders? (Don't you want to listen to it? You should. It's absorbing and thought provoking! Here's the link.)

The following are excerpts of the students' "take home ideas" from listening to the podcast, and also from their "quick write" with the prompt of "How do Martin Luther King, Jr., disruptive leadership, and the PNA mission coincide?" A quick write is just what it sounds like - students have 20 minutes to write as much as they can or like on the topic, in any way the topic speaks to them. P.S. PNA's mission is "We educate students to be exceptional learners and independent thinkers of vision, courage, and integrity."

"No matter what, in order to change the world, you must have vision, courage, and integrity. Without them, you will fail. Vision enables you to see the bigger pictures. Courage gives you the tenacity to keep on going, not matter how tough the road may be. Integrity helps you to be honest, truthful, and responsible. All those qualities are things you need to have with you to be able to make a difference and make the world a better place." 

- Megan Bassett

"Here at PNA, the 7/8th graders are the leaders. That means that children younger than us look up to us. That also means that if we see something we want to do or have a vision of something (like MLKJr. did) we can put our idea out there and make a change. What Martin Luther King Jr. did was amazing. He had the bravery to risk his life so that he could make something right. I think that here at PNA, as leaders, we can do that too. No the part about having to risk our lives, but there could be something that someone is too afraid to speak up about. So in a way, we are like Martin Luther King, Jr." 

- Lara Eck

"What makes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's quotes so powerful is that he believes them and puts them into action. A lot of quotes are just empty sayings that nobody does, but everyone likes. Dr. King did not just say these words, he followed them. I think that is what we are trying/doing at PNA. We have a mission we follow our mission and we are trying to implement this mission into every kid's life." 

- Noah Hoefer

"I like to think that I am courageous, and that PNA has helped me develop that trait. I always feel welcome to speak my mind, and the environment at PNA is fantastic. The last week has been great, because we've all been able to speak freely and talk about a man who was passionate and courageous." 

- Orion Lavin-Marz

"How do people get enough confidence to become a leader? I have never been 100% confident with being in a leadership situation, but I can be a leader. I definitely think being in small groups at school where there aren't always natural leaders has helped me with that. A big part of leadership is taking a chance." 

- Zoë Kaplan

"The smallest things you do become a really big thing later on! I can't think of how many people have changed my life based on a simple movement or opinion. It's just very fascinating and amazing." 

- Aisha Adabayo