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Seventh grader Andy Ford, left, a student at Hazelwood North Middle School, asks a question of speaker, eighth grader John Jones, not pictured, while sixth grader Dimitri Acquarelli listens. The boys are part of a weekly after-school club called LEAP, Leadership Education and Affirmation Program, which teaches the young men how to make good decisions and to show good manners, among other lessons.

Leadership – it’s not given; it’s learned. Young men at Hazelwood North Middle School are learning how to acquire this skill and others and put them to use to help them succeed, now and in the future.

An after-school club, Leadership Education and Affirmation Program (LEAP), meets once a week at the school. Physical education teacher David Hicks, math teacher Otis Jackson and Frank Carver, a substitute teacher, all serve as club leaders.

“LEAP started with a parent letter addressed to me and to Dr. Birkenmeier (the school’s principal),” Hicks said. “The parent noted many leadership programs available for young ladies but that no similar programs existed for the boys,” Hicks said. “Some males here don’t have a lot of male role models in their lives.” Birkenmeier, Hicks and District social worker Simone Minner all helped make LEAP a reality.

Besides leadership skills, the boys learn how to make good decisions, display good manners and show respect. During a recent session, each student had to give a three-minute speech to their peers.

“Remember, make eye contact with your audience and speak crisply and clearly,” Hicks told eighth grader John Jones, who gave his speech first.

Turning his attention to the rest of the group, he issued a reminder.

“Remember that as the audience, you must pay attention and listen to the speakers,” Hicks said.

Marlowe Harris, an eighth grader in the club, described what he has learned.

“LEAP is teaching me how to be a leader. I can show other kids how to react to problems,” Harris said. “In high school, there are a lot of different social situations and this club will help so we would not be part of the wrong crowd.”

Classmate John Jones agreed. “I have learned to communicate with my peers, younger and older,” he said. “I have also learned to take things in a way where I can’t get upset; I try to stay positive. You don’t have to be the most popular kid in high school to make a difference.”

“Students identify a lot with what they have been exposed to, not only in the home but in the media and the music that they listen to,” Hicks said. “A lot of it’s really aggressive. We’re trying to curb that. Another benefit of this program is having three good male role models from different walks of life.”

Hicks said he offers perspectives the other men don’t and vice versa.

“I don’t think this would work nearly as well if it were just me or just Dr. Jackson leading this club,” Hicks added. “It’s a well-rounded format and it gives these guys perspective.”

“It’s not just for the students,” Carver pointed out. “We learn things, too.”

Carver compared the students’ behavior at the mid-point of the school year to when they started. At first, the students spoke softly, in incomplete sentences and they would not look the adults in the eyes.

“Now they come to me with their problems, even with their grades,” Carver said. “We try to work it out in a way that benefits both sides.”

(story courtesy of the Hazelwood District Communications Dept.)

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