Volunteering will follow you for the rest of your life. In fact, according to a study done by Career Builder, “60% of hiring managers see the act of volunteerism as a valuable asset when making recruitment decisions.” Volunteering not only helps those in the act, but also builds character for the volunteers themselves. This is why Lake Highland Preparatory School values volunteerism as much as it does. Lake Highland requires each student to have a minimum of 100 hours of volunteering before they can graduate and has a day of dedicated volunteering, known as Heart of a Highlander Day, when every student goes out in the community to lend a helping hand.
Going a step further, LHPS has also incorporated volunteering into its curriculum with a leadership class called “Intro to Leadership.” The class is all about self-development and participating in the community. A main part of the class’s curriculum is helping Ivey Lane Elementary School in Orlando, Florida. The U.S World Report states, “The school enrolls 87% economically disadvantaged students,” and to play their part, Lake Highland’s Intro to Leadership class volunteers there almost every Thursday for about 40 minutes. Ms. Katie Gallagher runs the leadership class at LHPS and explains that, “An LHP alumni was a teacher there, and when Fern Creek Elementary shut down, we were looking for another school to partner and support with. We toured the school and felt like this was a school/community that our LHP community could connect with. We have been there for the past eight years.”
All of Ms. Gallagher’s leadership-affiliated classes, Intro to Leadership and Leadership Academy, volunteer at Ivey Lane throughout the week. Eliza Larson, grade 12, was a K.I.L.T., or student aid, for the Intro to Leadership class during the first semester. Eliza had previously been a part of this class when she was in 11th grade and explained that, “There are so many valuable parts of going to Ivy Lane, but most importantly, it’s to be a role model for the children’s futures. The children at Ivey Lane get so attached and excited to see their high school kids that the most important thing we can do to aid them is to be their role model.” Not only do the students understand the value of volunteering, but Ms. Gallagher also sees them gain, “An understanding of serving, learning, and giving back to our community and our local community.” Lake Highland Preparatory School opens several windows of opportunities for their students to take advantage of since, “Being able to get out of the classroom is a special thing and very unique about going to Lake Highland.”
Ms. Gallagher claims that, “We go into the classrooms of Pre-K, Kindergarten, and First grade and help the teachers with centers, one-on-one learning, and any activities the teacher has the class doing.” The main focus for Ms. Gallagher and her students is to be as helpful as possible, but it’s not just about what Highlanders can do for the kids at Ivey Lane. Eliza explained that the relationships she and her peers build benefit them to, “Learn so much from helping younger kids, which plays a vital role in leadership. With everything I have learned from leadership class, I use it to help the children at Ivey Lane.” This not only resonates with all the students in the class but also with Ms. Gallagher as she says, “My favorite part is seeing the bonds our LHP students create with the students at Ivey Lane from day one.”
The students at Lake Highland are fully committed to service, which is why there are two levels of the leadership program. Ms. Gallagher detailed both of her classes, explaining that her, “Leadership Academy class does all mentoring. Each week they work with our Kindergarten and 6th grade and Ivey Lane Pre-K and kindergarten. My introduction class mentors once a week and then spends time in the classroom working on their strengths, and concepts of leadership and learning about who they are and how to use their strengths as a leader.” Both classes are specific to the Juniors and Seniors at Lake Highland. These classes can only be taken during those years, as Ms. Gallagher suggested that her Intro to Leadership class focuses on self-development using Gallup.
Gallup has a program called The Clifton Strengths Assessment for people to learn what truly makes them leaders. Students at LHP who take the class use the things they learn from the assessment along with the other qualities of the program long after they are out of the classroom. Lake Highland’s commitment to leadership has a vast impact on its students as Eliza explains she, “Chose to K.I.L.T. for leadership because of what I learned when I took Leadership Intro. After I went to Dara [Leadership Academy], I decided that I wanted to continue to learn and teach about leadership. I was able to work with [Ms. Gallagher] to help and teach the new students learning about leadership.”
“Ninety-six percent of volunteers reported the action enriched their sense of purpose in life,” according to the Volunteer Hub that Lake highland used to survey participants. Eliza Larson can attest to this as she urges people to join, “Leadership because it guides your life in a way that it would not have been if this class was not taken. You discover your true leadership skills. Many people when writing essays or topics will say, ‘I am a leader because I am kind,’ which is great, but in leadership, you learn, ‘I am a leader because I am a communicator.’ I am able to communicate.” Her call to action resonates with all of Lake Highland as the school is constantly working to make an impact in the community. The standard is set throughout the entire school with students donating annually to make a Thanksgiving meal set for students at Ivey Lane to bring home to their families. The students at Lake Highland know volunteering and leadership go hand in hand as it continues to teach its students the benefits of being an upstander rather than a bystander.
