There are ‘book smarts,? which everyone is taught starting in kindergarten, and there are ‘street smarts,? the practical skills that help people become successful in the real world but are rarely taught in classrooms before college.
This is something Everest Academy parens Kristi Heft-Kitz and Ann Marie Allard wanted to change, so they did.
Both Kitz and Allard are parents of girls attending the prviate Clarkston school. Like most parents, they want to see their children grow up to be successful women.
Both having background in business, the mothers saw a lack of programs that prepare young women for professional life, so they started their own.
At the beginning of the 2005-06 school year, the women started the Leadership Development Program and enjoyed a very successful first run.
Both women expressed their pleasure with the way the program turned out during the pilot year, and their sentiment was echoed by Executive Director of Everest Academy Michael Nalepa.
‘Exposing the students at a young age to fundamental skills such as why it’s important to be organized and how to make an effective presentation allows the students to gain confidence in themselves and their ability to lead others,? said Nalepa
Modeled after Saint Edith Stein, a martyr who died in a Nazi concentration camp during World World II, the coursework of the program is geared to encourage women to be strong and independent.
Kitz said the goals of the workshops include developing organizational skills and assertiveness while teaching the students to use their talents for Jesus.
Part of the program brings in other students? parents once a month, who spend 90 minutes talking to participants about their careers and the skills they use on a daily basis.
Allard said the parent speakers act as role models and seeing their classmates? mothers as ‘more than just a mom? really makes a lasting impression on the girls.
Nalepa said he was very pleased to see the program in action, so much so that one month after the program started he extended a similar program into the boy’s school.
‘I have received many comments on the Leadership program from parents expressing their appreciation for the creation and implementation of this program because of the positive impact the lessons learned in the program has changed their child and their family,? said Napela
Using Everest Academy’s founder as a model, Nalepa said teaching the boys leadership and life skills is equally important. Both programs work with students in grades 3-8, and Nalepa indicated he plans on having both encorporated through out the upcoming school year and into the future.