Students showcase leadership projects as district spotlights learner‑centered leadership pillar

Students from across the KATONAH‑LEWISBORO Union Free School District presented leadership projects and student‑led initiatives at the Board of Education’s May 21 meeting, illustrating parts of the district’s Vision 2030 “Learner‑Centered Leadership” pillar.

Teacher Jackie Russo described an elementary classroom project that used weekly confidence surveys and student leadership roles to increase participation and ‘accountable talk.’ "Students gained confidence," Russo told the board, noting three students who reported no confidence at the start of the six‑week cycle and marked improvements by week three.

Student presenters detailed three projects developed after participating in a Manhattanville University leadership summit. Avery Vortugal described a "Girls in Sports" outreach in which varsity captains set up a middle‑school cafeteria table, distributed bracelets and flyers and encouraged younger girls to join high‑school athletics. "A sports team is a great community," Avery said, explaining the effort aimed to keep girls engaged during the transition to high school.

Lily Parker presented a project on positive self‑talk and mindset that used mirrors, stickers and short class exercises drawn from research summaries such as the Yale Happiness Lab. "You have to work the brain as if it is a muscle," Lily said, describing small, repeatable practices to build confidence and suggesting age‑appropriate adaptations for elementary grades.

Student Bridal Krulich described the Meridian Society, a web‑platform model that pairs younger students with mentor 'bigs' and provides career categories, internship postings and college ratings focused on women's experiences. "I created this website to be a safe space for women of all ages to begin networking," Bridal said, describing mentoring, career Q&A and college‑experience tools as core features.

District administrators and trustees praised the students’ work and described plans to continue the program next year. Mallory Donald, assistant principal at the high school, said the district will replicate the cohort process, continue counselor involvement in student recruitment and explore expanding club‑based leadership when travel capacity to Manhattanville is limited.

The board concluded the presentations with a short video of a Unified Basketball game that district staff said illustrated mentorship and inclusive leadership among students. Board members said they would look for ways to translate the projects into ongoing courses, clubs or internship opportunities that align with Vision 2030 goals.