8th Grade: Building Leadership Skills

Throughout their time at SGS, students are both encouraged to and, sometimes, required to step into leadership. They do this through facilitating Community Meetings, interviewing activists, leading activities with students from other grades, and more. 

During 8th grade, students are in an excellent position to share their leadership with our community and spend intentional time learning facilitation skills. Some of these skills are already second nature to our students - the “stand and deliver” model is one that they have experienced before, for example. Instead of approaching the building of facilitation skills as a facilitator with a captive audience, 8th graders will be learning and practicing the tools of engaging facilitation; how to bring an audience along, how to demonstrate a growth mindset when facilitating, and how to make space for others’ voices during a presentation. 8th graders will put these experiences into action through facilitating class meetings, presenting lessons and activities to their classmates, and leading mindful moments throughout the school year. 

The 8th grade team looks forward to continuing to support our 8th graders in honing their voices, skills, and capacities for leadership.