“A leader's job is not to do the work for others, it's to help others figure out how to do it themselves, to get things done, and to succeed beyond what they thought possible.” - Simon Sinek
Over the past few months, a group of HHS senior students (Samantha Meyer, Rebecca Meyer, Emily Zanolla, and Paige Nestich) met with our Superintendent, Dr. Buffington, and our Director of College and Careers, Mr. Krieg, and together created the Academic Brickyards. The Academic Brickyards are modeled after writing centers and tutoring centers found at most colleges and universities. During their Success Period, these students (along with some other senior student leaders they recruited) voluntarily give up their time in order to serve others. They meet with their peers to help them with Math or English work. In doing so, they are modeling the leadership skills Sinek points out since they are helping their peers figure out how to solve difficult math problems, work through syntactical difficulties, navigate the blurry lines involved in a citation, apply difficult concepts and mathematical formulas, and other related concepts. Together, they are helping one another succeed beyond what was once thought to be possible.
Our student leaders are determined to leave a legacy, and this legacy is all about service and helping our Brickies build their skills, knowledge, and competencies brick-by-brick. As leaders, this group of students is already planning the next phase of what these Academic Brickyards could entail. They are meeting with English and Math teachers, talking with Administrators, and most importantly getting feedback from their peers. In addition, they are even utilizing marketing approaches they learn about in their Business courses to promote the Academic Brickyards. They even worked with Mr. Crouch (Radio/TV Instructor) to create a promotional video that was shown to all of the students at Hobart High School, and they worked with our Director of Technology to create Academic Brickyard banners (as displayed) that are now displayed in front of each converted Learning Centers. From time to time, an English tutor may even go over to the Math Lab to get some extra help and vice versa.
Looking to the future, these students are even looking to recruit the next group of student tutors who can pick up where they left off. Leadership, as these students are experiencing, is much like a relay race - they’re running their leg but getting ready to pass the baton off to the next leaders. Not only are our Brickies getting extra help, but our student leaders are also growing as leaders and gaining experiences that will yield dividends for years to come. As these student leaders say, they hope their peers take advantage of this resource and build their knowledge and abilities one number or one word at a time.
