Commitment Through Student Leadership

Susan Tigert
At Calvary, part of our mission is to help students discover those gifts and talents and how they can best be used to lead others. What many fail to understand is that God-given talents have to be honed and perfected over the years, and this includes the ability to lead others. High school students need opportunities to perfect and hone these skills, to learn how to read and understand people, to accept differences, and to embrace conflict as a positive chance to grow and make something better.  

Students must be put in situations that will grow and stretch them, and sometimes that means being in uncomfortable places. When we shelter children, we rob them of the chance to experience these things to the fullest. Sometimes that means teaching our children how to honor and respect someone even when you don’t agree with them, or finding ways to deal with the inevitable disappointments that this life will bring to us.  Student leadership at Calvary comes in many forms - Student Life, Student Government, National Honor Society, Student Ambassadors, and Chick-fil-A Leader Academy.  But it can also mean simply serving in the Writing Center during lunch time or being willing to say a prayer during our student-led chapels. Leadership doesn’t always mean being in the spotlight or the forefront; the people behind the scenes, the quiet ones, the sacrificial servant leaders, are just as critical to having an organization thrive as the one ultimately in charge.  imply learning how to defend one’s faith in the midst of those who don’t agree is a critical leadership component that high school students need before facing a larger audience.  

At Calvary we strive to push students out of their comfort zones, to learn how to be their own advocate, to develop new ideas to solve old problems, and to face adversity with confidence that failure is just simply an opportunity to learn. I Timothy 4:12 tells us: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”This is a calling for our students. This is a mantra of our school. This scripture screams for students to make a difference in His name - no matter the age. And we are committed to carving a place for students to stand strong in their faith and leadership.
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