Texas school organization to host virtual student leadership workshops

The global pandemic is not stopping at least one organization’s quest to build student leaders in schools across Texas.

Many school districts have eliminated off-campus field trips and on-campus visitors, but the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association (TEPSA) is moving forward with its Leaders ‘R’ Us workshops, according to a TEPSA press release. Those workshops will be held virtually.

The workshops, which can be viewed from campus and home settings, are for students in grades 4-8 and their advisors. They will focus on leadership skills and strategies for leading no matter where a student is.

More than 40,000 students in Texas have trained in one of TEPSA’s workshops since 1999. Each workshop lasts 4.5 hours and teaches students and their advisors to create an effective student leadership team.

Among the things students will learn during the workshops is how to develop their personal leadership style. They’ll also learn how to communicate effectively and how to identify leadership challenges and problem-solving techniques. Students will also have the opportunity to connect with student leaders at other schools.

Advisors will receive instruction on how to organize a group and keep it going year-round, how to develop a constitution, establish criteria for membership and how to hold an election, according to the press release. 

Each virtual workshop costs $39/person and includes live training from campus or at home and digital handbooks for students and advisors. Participants also will have a chance to create the StuCo workshop theme and song for 2021. Registration is available here.

All types of student leadership teams are eligible. Those include student councils, character councils, Ambassadors, National Junior Honor Society, House Leaders and Kindness Clubs.

TEPSA has served PK-8 school leaders since 1917. It is member-owned and member-governed and has more than 5,900 members who lead activities for three million students in Texas. The organization is an affiliate of the National Association of Elementary School Principals.