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EDEN — All it took was one trip to A.B. Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, and Nicole Lancaster was hooked.

It was nearly a year ago when Lancaster, an assistant principal at Holmes Middle School in Eden, visited A.B. Combs to see first-hand the transformation that had taken place at the school.

That transformation began 10 years ago when Comb’s principal Muriel Summers was attending a conference at which Stephen R. Covey, author of the book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” was speaking.

She asked Covey if he thought his “seven habits” would work with young students. Covey felt that they would, but the proof was in what followed.

Summers built the school’s culture around leadership, and she based that on the seven habits, incorporating them in everything from science lessons to playground conflicts.

Combs Elementary went from mediocrity to being one of the top six magnet schools in the nation. Covey chose to document that school’s success, as well as others, in the book “The Leader in Me.”  It was published last year.  

 For Lancaster, the proof was in seeing the students at Combs.

“The students were happy and engaged, and everything was student-centered,” she said. “I saw teachers collaborating, students who greeted you with a handshake and made eye contact. They seemed really confident, and every child was a leader in some area.”

When Lancaster was there, the students had just elected class officers. They were planning an inaugural ball at which a judge would swear in those elected.

Lancaster came back to Holmes inspired. She ordered the book on CD and listened to it on her daily commute to work. The FranklinCovey company, which specializes in leadership skills, offers  training for educators. But Holmes didn’t have the money to participate, said  Principal  Mavis Dillon.

So Lancaster studied the book and used those suggestions, plus ideas from A.B. Combs, to create her own program at Holmes.

Lancaster has responsibility for the sixth grade, and she thought she might find one teacher who would volunteer to implement the seven habits in their classrooms. 

She was wrong.

When she told teachers about the seven habits and explained how they would need to incorporate them into every subject and use them even when disciplining students, she didn’t just have one volunteer.

She had 12.

 Every teacher in the sixth grade wanted to be part of the program.

Over the summer, the teachers developed strategies to incorporate the habits into the students’ total experience at Holmes.

A copy of “The Leader In Me” was purchased for every teacher at the school.

And when school started, so did the Holmes Leadership Academy.

Every Friday is “Dress to Impress Day.” Many of the young men wear shirts with collars; some even put on a tie. The young women wear dress pants or skirts.

“Middle school is all about being cool, but some students have made it cool to look good on Fridays,” Lancaster said.

“Dress to Impress Day” ends with a speaker, usually a business leader from the community. The students ask questions, and afterward, they file past and thank the person for visiting the school.

 Recently a student was reading a biography of basketball player Michael Jordan. She told Mollie Rierson, a language arts teacher, that Jordan’s mother taught him to “put first things first.”

The student was pleased that she had identified one of the habits at work.

The habits come into play in correcting behavior, too.

“Sometimes all I have to do is say the word ‘leadership,’ and they straighten up,” said Lancaster.

Leadership is really the key. Lancaster has  quotes about leadership stenciled on the walls of the hallways.

“Every student has something that they are good at,” Lancaster said.

Teachers are challenged to find out what that is and to find a way for the student to be a leader in the use of that talent.

Next semester, Lancaster said, the students will be given responsibilities that match their talents.

Some will be greeters. Some will introduce their speakers. Others will be peer tutors or hall monitors.

“It lets students know that they are valued; they have a purpose here,” she said.

Lancaster admits that they are still taking “baby steps” with the program, but had she waited to raise the money for training, it would have delayed the startup.

There were too many good things she learned from the book that she could put in place immediately.

But she hasn’t given up on getting the training, which would give the school access to more materials and support. She would love to have the money to train administrators and a teacher, who in turn would teach the rest of the staff.

Lancaster estimates that it costs about $2,000 to send one person to the training, and it is even more expensive if trainers are brought on site. 

Next school year, Lawsonville Elementary in Reidsville will start the program.

The Reidsville Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the school to pay for on-site training by the FranklinCovey company.

It will cost about $30,000 to have representatives come to the school in June and train the entire staff — teachers, assistants, custodians and administrators.

 “We have committed to raise the money for the program,” said chamber President Beth Simmons, who also has been to A.B. Combs and seen the program work. 

In addition to seeking corporate sponsorship, Simmons is hoping some of the school’s Title I funding, money it gets from a federal education program, can be used to help pay for the training.

“I think this is a program that our students and our community will benefit from,” Lancaster said.

“Everyone in the 21st century needs leadership skills, no matter what career they go into.”

Contact Myla Barnhardt at
627-481, Ext. 116, or myla.barnhardt@news-record.com