February 14, 2018…the date of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. It wasn’t the first time, nor the last. But it was the beginning of change for students at Design and Architecture Senior High School in Miami.
For the sixth year, 9th grade students at DASH were working on their Lead4Change lessons and project. DASH has a legacy of winning efforts to address major issues in their community – and this year’s project was shaping up to be as strong.
On February 15, 2018, they abandoned their Lead4Change project, embraced their teacher and fellow students, and decided to BE the change they wanted to see in their school. They committed to using their leadership lessons in a bold new way. Their story is one powerful example of how students are standing up to force change, open eyes to issues and create conversation around real solutions for the mental health issues affecting many middle and high school students today.
The video that accompanied their Lead4Change Challenge entry is shared here.
If mental health or school change are focus areas that interest your students, you might use the Lead4Change lessons to take them through a service project to change something at their school. If they are interested in finding out more about the No More Stalling Sintra boards, you can reach out to us here for information on how produce and order similar boards.
By the start of the 2018-19 school year, Miami Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho had delivered on a promise to place a board with key mental health hotlines on the door of every bathroom stall in the school system. That means 40,000 bathroom stalls have private, instant contact information for students and staff to reach out for help. We applaud the work of the DASH Lead4Change students and the support of their teacher and district leaders!!
How will you empower students to Now Go Lead? Register or Log In and access the lessons.