Horizon Student Leadership Council project

Horizon School Division No. 67
Contact Cheryl Gilmore at 1.403.223.3547

  1. What problem were you trying to address when you launched this program?
    Horizon School Division has had a very proactive division-wide Safe and Caring committee since 1999. In 2001 it was recognized that while smaller projects were successfully initiated at the secondary level, there was not a common division focus or a curriculum to tie the schools together. The division-wide committee created a focus group for a secondary level initiative. Students on this committee were eager to form an initiative that would place students in active leadership roles that promoted Safe and Caring tenets in the context of active school and community citizenship.

  2. Describe the program/project?
    The Horizon Student Leadership Council consists of 60 students from Grades 8-12 representing schools throughout the division along with one staff advisor for each of the 12 schools.

    The council meets three times a year at rotating school sites for planning sessions. Placed in leadership roles, students come together to discuss ways to promote citizenship grounded in Safe and Caring Schools principles, determine and organize division-wide and school events and share best practices.
    Students are empowered to determine priorities, direction and strategies of the council. Whole group sharing, planning and discussion move to opportunity for individual school teams to formulate action plans to take back to their own student bodies. Throughout the planning sessions, students are also exposed to leadership sessions to help equip them with the necessary skills to enact their leadership roles in their schools and the broader community. Promoting active citizenship in schools and creating a positive school and community culture are emphasized.

    Communication and promotion between meetings is accomplished through a division website where different schools can share programs and projects.

  3. How did you involve your school council/community in developing this approach?
    The division-wide Safe and Caring committee was comprised of staff, students, school board members and parents. The focus group made up of different stakeholders from this committee formulated the structure of the program. School councils of host schools are involved in the planning of the meetings.

  4. How do you know it is working?
    The program’s success can be measured in a number of ways. Desired outcomes were established from the outset.

    Students, staff and community members will have an increased awareness and implementation of safe and caring practices in their schools and communities.

    All 12 schools involved in the council have initiated programs in their school communities that directly promote safe and caring principles. Some examples include: ambassador programs, justice circles, anti-bullying programs, volunteer service programs and school environment enhancement projects.

  5. Safe and Caring Schools principles and active citizenship will be embraced, promoted and modeled by staff, students and community members within Horizon Schools and communities. Surveys conducted for the 2002-2003 Horizon results report indicate that over 90 per cent of parents and students are satisfied that their schools are safe and caring. Qualitative evaluation feedback gathered from student members of the council and supervising school staff report that the council initiatives have had a significant impact on their school climates, promotion of citizenship and Safe and Caring principles in their schools.

    Students will be aware that they are a part of a larger team, Team Horizon, and develop an understanding of their ability to lead within that team. Students have taken a leadership role in implementing programs in schools and the community. The qualitative feedback forms reflect an increased confidence in their leadership capacity and a strong sense of “team” with other school communities throughout the division. One of the most significant components of this program’s success is the development of a common vision that not only crosses into communities, but among all the schools in a diverse jurisdiction.

  6. What would you do to improve this program?
    As the program grows in popularity, improvements could be made in the delivery of the program to a greater number of students. As well, the program could benefit from more emphasis on recognition and promotion within the communities.