Fostering Leadership at Lambert High School...
A cool, brisk October morning wakes the sleepy neighborhoods in Forsyth County, Georgia. As staff, students and teachers arrive, a young man is heard to say, “Hey, are you guys always this happy?” “You bet!” I say as I attend to morning duty. One Three thousand students arrive in the morning and each is greeted with a smile and a warm start to the day. This short exchange is at the cornerstone of the culture at Lambert High School. Being attentive to and responsive for the students and staff at Lambert is a hallmark of the interactions that serve as our foundation.
Lambert High School is one of the 5 high schools in Forsyth county. Lambert is a school of 3,058 students along with 186 teaching staff. The staff is a good representation of the teaching genre. Many of the staff members have come from outside of the state. At last count states include: Hawaii, California, New York, Indiana, Florida, Missouri, Alabama, Wisconsin, Michigan, Connecticut and as close as Forsyth County. The staff ranges from first year teachers to veterans with 30 years’ experience. This demographic could very easily represent any school in the United States. What sets this school apart from others above all else is a feeling of leadership that is shared among the staff. “Leveled” leadership is a shared experience among staff and students. In that, we mean that the typical hierarchy that is the norm in many schools, exists only in extreme times. Leveled leadership means that all members of our organization are given equal abilities to share and develop together. Importance of role do not give significant weight to the relevance of their opinion as planning takes place. When planning for and reflecting on events, programs, and areas of student interests, leveled leadership gives our culture a face for interaction among students, staff, and community.
Leadership Team
Leadership is a shared entity at LHS. Teachers are not only encouraged to participate in leadership roles, but it is expected. The Leadership Team is primarily responsible for working on the school improvement plan, staff development plan, day-to-day operational issues, and school wide events. The leadership team is responsible for participation and leadership of their respective departments. Within that structure, they are trained on facilitation and conflict resolution strategies to allow for this leveled leadership expectation. This ensures nearly complete participation in each meeting by all of the members. Issues are shared and discussed relevant to the “Trinity” at Lambert. The “Trinity” is considered curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Common assessments, curricular maps and consistent planning are done in team meetings.
What Makes Our Leadership Different?
One of the primary responsibilities I have as the principal at Lambert High School is to grow leaders. I am cognizant that my administrative team and teacher leadership will directly transmit to top-notch instruction and collegiality, thus leading to a highly charged atmosphere of high expectations and quality instruction. The legacy of quality and caring are evident on the faces of the staff and students every day. They work hard every day to ensure that students are receiving the very best on a daily basis. These leaders are charged with making instructional and managerial decisions daily in congruence with the mission of Lambert to meet our communities’ needs. This perpetual adherence to congruence and inclusion of all members allows for continual growth of the leaders. We seek participation of all members…not just the happy ones. Leveled leadership means leaders must be prepared to facilitate and thrive in an atmosphere where conflict and opposition exist. To appropriately navigate and lead a team to a stronger resolution while in the midst of conflict is a skill. It is my charge to demonstrate this and teach my team to be adept at this skill. As these leaders grow, their abilities become calling cards for their future aspirations. To date, 19 leaders have come from our administrative teams to be building principals and/or county office level leaders.
Be Intentionally Positive
Make an intentional effort to be positive with students, staff and the community. Apathy is the enemy of a positive, caring culture. Fight negativism with the most effective means possible…leadership. At Lambert this year we are facing a tremendous obstacle. We are in the middle of a contentious redistricting effort within the school system. Many families are being asked to rezone to another high school. This, of course, is accompanied with a changing staff dynamic. While change is difficult for all involved, we are looking at this challenge as an opportunity to lead in an intentionality-positive, leveled approach.
Being a thoughtful leader that takes the time to develop these skills in others ensures your success as an organization and their success as future leaders. After all, isn’t that what we are charged with?
