BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, Bowling Green Independent School District and the Warren County School District Thursday kicked off the 2018-19 school year for the SCK LAUNCH Student Ambassadors.
Building upon The Leader In Me and LEAD, Student-Led Leadership focuses on the application of the principles of leadership. Student-Led Leadership is a process for high school students to prepare for their future career and become contributing members of the community. The initiative focuses on actions that create positive impact for students, school, and community.
Nearly 130 students representative of the student population including age, gender, race, culture, ethnicity, active and not active from our area high schools were selected by their schools through an application process. School staff coaches facilitate and guide the teams and individual members. The chamber provides corporate level leadership and project management training through the FranklinCovey organization, while the students are charged with leading a service project in their schools.
For the first time the teams of all five high schools kicked off their year together, hearing from many community leaders including: Michael Buchanon, Warren County; Dr. Timothy Caboni, Western Kentucky University; Pete Mahurin, Hillard Lyons Financial Services; Gary McGuey, FranklinCovey; Amy Milliken, Warren County Attorney’s Office; Joe Natcher, former owner of Southern Foods; and Bruce Wilkerson, City of Bowling Green.
“It is great to see our community coming together to support our future leaders and provide guidance in their path,” said Gary Fields, superintendent of Bowling Green Independent Schools. “The opportunities provided by our Chamber of Commerce, our local businesses, and industry are beyond what we could offer in the school buildings alone. All of the SCK LAUNCH components provide real, relevant career exploration to help students make decisions for the future.”
According to Warren County Schools Superintendent Rob Clayton, “Two of our top priorities in Warren County Public Schools are ensuring student learning and ensuring student opportunities. The SCK LAUNCH partnership with the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce allows us to take those commitments to the next level through unique experiences that will lay the foundation for a successful future as they leave WCPS.”
From our community leaders, students learned the importance of being part of a team, identifying their community and putting themselves in a position to give back. Armed with the insight of community leaders and with the facilitation of area business leaders, Students Ambassadors brainstormed service projects for the current school year.
“It is inspiring to meet the students from our area high schools and hear their vision for how to make their school communities even better,” said Ron Bunch, chamber president and CEO. “We are proud to provide this opportunity and look forward to their continued success here in South Central Kentucky.”
“Warren County is a thriving community that continues to grow and prosper. The work of SCK LAUNCH is a great testament to our community’s investment in our students and schools, as well as our region’s future workforce,” said Warren County judge-executive Mike Buchanon.
Mayor Bruce Wilkerson noted, “I am delighted to participate today. The unmatched collaboration between businesses, students and educators creates powerful linkages to the community that will serve us for decades to come. Congratulations to each of the school teams.”
To learn more about the initiative and available volunteer opportunities, please contact Meredith Rozanski or Sandra Baker at the chamber, or visit the initiative website at SCKLAUNCH.com.
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