Philosophy The public school system has a responsibility to educate the leaders of tomorrow's world. We believe that the best leadership also has a lasting impact on the community, so ideally any leadership program would seek to integrate community service into its main goal. The Science Bus High School Leadership Program aims to do just that through a series of workshops and a retreat to build leadership and communication skills in high school students. These skills would then be applied through a science mentorship program with an elementary school in Pomona. High school students would develop critical skill sets while inspiring younger students to become interested in science and helping them develop a strong foundation in critical thinking and the scientific method. Overview of the Program Interested students are encouraged to apply to the program in early March. A retreat for the leadership fellows will be held at the end of March, where students would learn about good practices in teaching, participate in team building activities, and become oriented with the program. Starting in April, the Science Bus leadership fellows would go to an Elementary School in Pomona to lead an afterschool science program geared at teaching elementary school students about the scientific method and scientific inquiry. Below is a suggested timeline for the afterschool program:
Ideally the high school leadership fellows would be involved on a deeper level in designing the afterschool program under the guidance of members of the Harvey Mudd community. This would allow them to experience multiple aspects of the educational process, both through planning and through teaching. The program would hone leadership and communication skills and prepare students for a wide variety of challenges they will likely face in college and in the workforce. The program would also provide a forum for meaningful community service and instill core values of giving back to the community. Spring 2009 Program Details The spring 2009 High School Leadership Program has already occurred, but check back next fall if you are interested in applying! This year's high school fellows were Acacia Overoy, Somin Lim, Ecem Kahraman, Elizabeth Yoon, Mary Jeon, and Frank Liu. You can see pictures from the afterschool program here. The high school leadership fellows attended a retreat at Harvey Mudd College, which included a seminar lead by Professor Lynn on effective teaching, and a planning period in which the fellows were involved at a fundamental level in shaping the details of the program. Starting Monday, April 13th, the high school leadership fellows worked with 25 to 30 students afterschool at Montvue Elementary (map). The program lasted five weeks, and ran from 3pm to 4:15pm on Mondays. On the last day, the elementary school students participated in a science and technology night hosted at Montvue, in which they presented posters they had prepared during the afterschool program. For more information, you can contact: Neal Pisenti, npisenti@gmail.com Dmitri Skjorshammer, dimitriskj@gmail.com Catherine Bradshaw, cat.bradshaw@gmail.com The deadline has now passed for applications, but we will be accepting people again in the fall of 2009 so stay tuned for more information. |
High School Leadership Program |