Leadership uses creativity with event planning

Milford Leadership has always been the driving force behind many of our school’s exciting events. However, this year has completely changed the operation of the class. Many of the events that students and staff traditionally look forward to have been limited due to COVID-19 restrictions, so Milford Leadership has turned its efforts to other areas of the school and community to continue representing what it means to have Milford pride.

Homecoming, spirit days, and Charity Week are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the events and activities that Leadership students plan. Because the 2020-2021 school year started in a hybrid model, Leadership students had to quickly find creative ways to welcome students back for the new school year in a positive manner, due to the cancellation of the usual Homecoming Week.

A spirit week was organized, although it was completely different from a regular school year. This two-week spirit week would allow both A and B day students to participate in equal spirit wear opportunities on their in-person learning days. This was a great way for MHS students to ring in the new school year, and was largely successful given the circumstances.

Leadership students have also started organizing what are called Mav Fridays. Junior Veronica Ricci is just one of the Leadership students involved in planning Mav Fridays. “Mav Fridays are supposed to be a fun way to end our week and get school spirit levels up,” said Ricci. Some of the events and activities that have taken place so far include hat day, various spirit days, and a donut sale. The most successful Mav Friday event was the donut sale and hat day earlier in school the year.

Leadership students try to increase participation by making posters, advertising on the announcements, and posting reminders on the Bruce Maverick social media accounts. With this new addition of fun Friday events, Milford Leadership hopes that students will have something positive to look forward to at the end of each week.

While the events that Leadership students are able to plan have been limited, each member is committed to making the most of the rest of this school year. Another unique event that is currently in the works is a drive-in movie for all MHS students. Similar to the Halloween drive-in movie that took place in the fall, this is a safe way to bring together the student population and take part in a fun spring event. The event is currently planned to take place at MHS, which will be the first Leadership event to occur on school grounds for the 2020-2021 school year.

Although Leadership is the driving force behind the fun student and building events, there is also a Leadership curriculum that gets covered in the classroom. Some of the units studied in the Leadership classroom include relationships, goals, teamwork, and mindset.

With the pandemic restrictions being enforced, Leadership teacher David Gilbert has emphasized many important lessons in the classroom this year. “I love teaching about anything that helps students better understand themselves. True colors come to mind, but it’s not just the test itself but the learning ‘why I am the way I am’ that I see kids grow in confidence.”

When students think about the Leadership class here at Milford, they probably don’t think about classwork and lecture. However, these are important life lessons and skills that Leadership students must learn and put into effect. This unique year has made it difficult for Leadership students to display their existing and newly-learned skills. “An obvious change from this year is the inability to do student activities,” said Gilbert. “This is where learning in class gets to be put into action, and we’ve missed that.”

Gilbert has had an interesting year trying to coordinate the classes, activities, and even students for Leadership at MHS. Because last school year came to a halt prior to the interview process, many of the current members did not have to schedule an interview. “The hardest thing about not being able to hold interviews last year was just not being able to know basic things,” said Gilbert. “I can get an idea of who is shy, outgoing, comfortable in groups, and not quite as comfortable. It’s easier to learn that when the focus is on one person as opposed to 35.”

This year, Gilbert was committed to following through with interviews. Although a few applicants had to conduct an online interview,

the majority of applicants had traditional interviews with a panel of Senior leaders. Returning applicants are also required to fill out an application that reflects on their year and their contributions to the class and school.

There is no doubt that this school year has been far from normal. Many of Milford’s best events are put on by our Leadership classes, and the year has not felt the same without them. Milford Leadership may have changed this year, but the impact MHS student leaders have on our school and community will always remain the same.