This is a corrected version of our earlier newsletter. Becker Elementary's new principal is Brandy Welch. We apologize for the misspelling. 

Welcome New Leader in Me Principals

This school year we are welcoming seven new principals to our Leader in Me family! These principals play an essential role in the leadership culture of a Leader in Me school, and we look forward to partnering with them in their new roles. Our new principals are (clockwise starting in the top left):

Becker Elementary (Waterloo)- Brandy Welch

Bunger Middle School (Waterloo)- Zach O'Brien

Cedar Heights Elementary (Cedar Falls)- Tyler Ruane

Columbus High School (Cedar Valley Catholic)- Tony Harrington

Hoover Middle School (Waterloo)- Thomas Harskamp

North Cedar Elementary (Cedar Falls)- Jaymie O'Dell

St. Patrick Catholic School- Jon Wiebers

Waverly-Shell Rock Leaders Focus on Inclusion

After reading Nate Trainor’s book, Nate's Triumph: Presuming Competence and the Fight for Inclusion, 6th grade students at Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School were inspired to fight for inclusion in their own classrooms. Students spent time learning from their own classmate who uses a device to communicate and talked to staff about the current reality of inclusion in the school. What developed out of the efforts of these students became “The Inclusion Project,” a training that will be used to teach the rest of the school about inclusion.

“I saw a big change in how students interacted with others. They truly learned about their classmate and learned how to include her. We were able to see the effects of their actions because other students started copying them, and all of a sudden students who had never interacted with their classmate did because they knew how.” – Ashley Shipp, Waverly-Shell Rock 6th Grade Teacher

Spotlight On Values

Leader Valley's core values are what support the vision of our organization and help shape our culture. They are the essence of our identity – our principles, beliefs, and philosophies. These core values guide our work within our Leader in Me schools and drive positive results for our young leaders. Leader Valley is honored to continue to demonstrate our commitment to these core values.

Leader Up: Farmers State Bank Uses the Time Matrix

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People aren't just for our students. They're useful for people of all ages in every industry! Last year, Farmers State Bank trained 40 employees in the 7 Habits. Now they are regularly practicing Habit 3: Put First Things First. Hear Vicki Parsons, Vice President of Human Resources, share how Farmers State Bank uses the time matrix to clearly define their company's priorities.

Thank you to Farmers State Bank for your ongoing support of Leader Valley!

Introducing the Leader Valley Council

One key ingredient to Leader Valley's ability to provide Leader in Me to our Cedar Valley students is our dedicated volunteers. This month, we'd like to feature our incoming Leader Valley Council Secretary, Kendra Richman.

Kendra Richman is the Senior Organizational Development Consultant at UnityPoint Health. She and her husband, Brett, have raised three kids in the Cedar Valley- Allison, Courtney, and Noah. Kendra was introduced to Leader in Me a decade ago as she worked to implement the 7 Habits with CBE employees at the same time area schools were beginning to use the curriculum.

Kendra says, “I love that this program can help every single student tap into their talents and discover how they can be a leader. Navigating in the world today isn’t easy. Leader in Me helps students focus on the positive things they can do. And I believe that can help them be better parents, employees and community members in the future.”

Leader Valley prepares Pre-K-12 students for life by providing them with the essential employability or professional skills needed for a life of effectiveness and a competitive advantage in the workforce.