CONNECTIONS INITIATIVE PEER LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

(Howard County Connections)

By Jacqueline E. Burrell

Somewhere, sometime, the leader
Within each of us may get
The call to step forward

- Peer Leadership Conference

Don’t wait. Step up. Become a leader at your school today. Make a difference now.

That was the message delivered in high- energy style at the third annual Peer Leadership Conference. Attended by 500 students from 22 elementary schools across Howard County, it was held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Laurel.

“It was all about building confidence and planning ahead and not always hating class work,” explained Sanjay Kunchakarra, a 5th grader at Pointers Run Elementary.

“Yeah, it was about making good decisions,” agreed Zach Plotkin, also in 5th grade at Pointers Run.
“Its also about trying to make things better at school and standing up for yourself,” added Anna Kim, in her final year at Pointers Run.

Sanjay, Zach, and Anna are peer mentors at their school, helping younger students with their schoolwork.
Guidance counselors selected 4th and 5th grade students to attend the conference. Most of those chosen are already involved in leadership activities at their schools or thought of as having leadership qualities.

Nationally known motivational speaker Aric Bostick, known as “Mr. Enthusiasm,” lived up to his reputation. Constantly moving, jumping up and down, and inviting students to aid him with applause and shouts, Bostick kicked the conference off with music, comedy, and storytelling.

Wearing a Superman shirt underneath his clothes, Bostick talked about how silly Superman’s outfit was, yet pointed out that Superman didn’t let criticism hurt or stop him from achieving. Plan ahead, he encouraged, asking the youths to yell which colleges they intended to go to after high school and what they wanted to be when they grew up.

“He told us we didn’t have to wait until way after we graduate to become leaders. He said we are the leaders of right now,” said Zach.

Bostick, of Aric Bostick Success Training, Inc., listed three things to help students be their best: dream big, believe in yourself, and be cool to each other.

“You wouldn’t know what enthusiasm was until you’ve been” to the conference and heard Bostick, says Pointers Run 5th grader Justin Devlin.

After his talk, students broke into groups attending sessions on leadership skills, setting goals, dealing with bullies and mediating disputes, all in an effort to encourage them to step up and create a better place for themselves at school academically and personally.

Several Howard County schoolteachers and counselors heard Bostick at a conference on developmental assets that they attended in Dallas last November.

Many schools are incorporating assets into their school culture and curriculum as part of the Horizon Foundation’s major initiative called Howard County Connections. Research on the 40 developmental assets indicates that the more assets young people have, the better they do in all areas of their life.

The teachers asked the Horizon Foundation to fund Bostick’s speaking engagement at the conference, which it did.

All 38 elementary schools were invited and 22 attended, noted Facilitator for School Counseling Lisa Boarman, who organized the event.

Each year proves more successful than the last, which unfortunately means finding bigger and bigger locations each year, she said.

Held at Howard Community College the first year, about 200 students attended. It grew by 100 the second year to 300 students and was held at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center.

At this, the third annual Peer Leadership Conference, some 500 students signed up to attend, so the event was held at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in North Laurel, one of the few places which can handle such large numbers.

“It was the perfect location to do the breakout sessions and give the students a real conference feel,” said Boarman. “Where else can you get 500 students together and talk about what they need to succeed in life.”