Middle School Leadership

Gerstell Academy is a diverse educational community dedicated to providing a nurturing and mentoring environment where each student’s potential to become a leader, to learn, to grow morally, and to be physically fit is maximized.

At Gerstell Academy's Middle School, we cultivate leadership development throughout the curriculum, in a specific leadership course, as well as in our athletic program. The foundations for all leadership education are the Gerstell Principles, Motto, and Leadership Attributes. Activities are viewed with these foundations in mind. The type of questions faculty will use to evaluate activities, lesson plans, and curriculum are: Does this activity reflect our principles, motto, and attributes? Did the students’ performance reflect those foundations? Does it enhance the students’ leadership skills? Does it increase the students’ moral and spiritual awareness? Have they contributed to their community and do they better understand service to others? At Gerstell, our teaching moments focus on developing students to reach their full leadership potential.

To be an effective leader requires a unique skill set, a knowledge base, and an awareness of self. The framework and specific areas of leadership education at Gerstell Academy are:

Traditional Leadership.
Includes, but is not limited to: public speaking, ethics, manners, social skills, negotiation skills, management skills, conflict resolution, and moral and ethical decision making.

History.
Centered upon a critical historical examination of the recent relevant history that has allowed the United States to become the world leader it is today.

Science.
The leadership emphasis is on environmental issues and concerns. We live in a world of limited resources and it is important to ensure that students understand how scientific leadership affects us and the world we share today and for future generations.

Psychology.
All leaders must first understand themselves before understanding others in order to be effective. The focus of the middle school will be adolescent psychology. The study of psychology allows students to explore and understand who they are and how they develop, as well as gain an understanding of group dynamics.

Comparative Religions and Cultures.
Religions and cultures are studied to develop an understanding of the five major religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Understanding the world’s major religions and their cultures is critical to increasing understanding, encouraging tolerance, and promoting a broader world view.

The effective development of leaders requires a supportive environment, the necessary education, and a variety of opportunities and venues to test what has been learned. At Gerstell, students are provided with all three of these elements giving them the experiences and confidence to take educated risks, to make good decisions, and to act on them.