MACON, Ga. — Bibb County School District says they encourage students to strive for excellence and to be leaders within the classroom.
On Wednesday at Vineville Academy of the Arts, Senate President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy, legislative leaders and members of the Georgia Board of Education formally announced the launch of the Leader In Me statewide pilot program.
The Leader in Me program aims to help students with leadership skills, character development, and personal growth both in school and in their personal lives.
For the students at Vineville Academy, it means leading by example.
"Vineville pushes you to be yourself," Ella Evans, a fifth grader at Vineville Academy, said. "The Leader In Me program is kind of like a way of life. It kind of gives you a chance to do the right thing, it shows and tells you how you can be a leader in every way and how are a leader in every way."
Another student, fifth grader Jay Smith, says it helps build character.
"It's basically like a path to your future," Smith said. "You're like a leader every day by helping people when they don't even know they need to be helped."
State Senate President Pro Tempore John F. Kennedy says, after seeing the impact locally, it inspired them to push the program out to schools across the state.
"It instills principles that are good for these kids to be successful not only in the classroom but outside of the classroom," Kennedy said. "The program plans on instilling self-confidence, leadership skills, accountability, those things that we all would say 'wow, that's great preparation to be successful in life'."
Kennedy joined State School Superintendent Richard Woods and State Board of Education members to walk the halls of Vineville Academy with these student leaders to see the development firsthand.
According to Senator Kennedy, the state has invested $2 million in expanding the Leader In Me program statewide.