8
1 Honda Foundation Update Lincoln Elementary & Fred Bec ker Elementary February 2014 Leader Valley is the educational arm of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber, located in two communities- Waterloo and Cedar Falls, Iowa. In cooperation with foundations like the Honda Foundation and local businesses, Leader Valley proudly provides financial and administrative support to Leader in Me schools in three districts- Waterloo Community Schools, Cedar Falls Community Schools, and Cedar Valley Catholic. Leader in Me is currently being implemented in 14 schools- 10 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 1 K-8 building. All of our Leader in Me schools strive to embed the 7 Habits, identify the gifts and talents of all students and staff, and provide authentic and meaningful leadership roles and opportunities to learn about leadership to students. Seven other schools are in the pre-work phase of determining if Leader in Me is the right work for their school! The goal is that by the 2018-2019 school year, all 33 K-12 schools in the three districts implementing Leader in Me. To learn more about Leader Valley, visit this link for a promotional video- Leader Valley FINAL 11-22-13.mov It is my pleasure to give an update on the progress of two Leader in Me schools in the Leader Valley that the Honda Foundation has provided support to! Lincoln Elementary Cedar Falls, Iowa Lincoln Overview- Lincoln Elementary is in the heart of the downtown Cedar Falls district and serves 580 (and growing) students. Lincoln possesses the type of school culture that most educators, parents, and students dream of. They are truly a family and have an amazing climate and culture- a true breeding ground for Leader in Me. Lincoln has a highly respected and beloved p rincipal, Deb Beving , who has nu rtured this wonderful culture. Lincoln has committed staff that on the whole, goes above and beyond for students- they take an “All hands on deck ” approach. As a result, Lincoln has highly engaged families and thriving students. Lincoln Elementary entered its first phase of Leader in Me training during summer 2012. In f act, during the summer training, the principal, Deb Beving, found out they would be inheriting 80+ new students as a result of a neighbor school closing and housing development expansion in their district. During that time, staff remained centered on how to infuse all of these new students into their very established Lincoln family. During the actual training itself, not only were classrooms being moved, more student enrolling, additional teachers being hired, and temporary classrooms needing to be established, the Lincoln staff was “all -in” with their Leader In Me training.
