Military Child Education Coalition invites Bob Jones students to West Point conference

MADISON – The Military Child Education Coalition invited four Bob Jones High School students to attend the Frances Hesselbein Student Leadership Program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Grace Finlay, Adrienne Hyams, Shaniya Jacobs-Lanier and Alecia Walker, who are members of Student 2 Student Leaders at Bob Jones, were chosen to participate in the conference that resulted from a partnership between the coalition and West Point.

Student 2 Student or S2S raises awareness of needs of all transitioning students, both military-connected and civilian. S2S students welcome new students and support their peers who move to and from the district.

For 2020, four student leaders in S2S attended the event from 24 schools in Alabama, Louisiana, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado, Kentucky, New Mexico, Washington and Oklahoma, along with Germany and Guam.

“For the project, they researched ways to create a safe place to discuss mental health issues that students face,” Amy Thaxton said. Thaxton is Assistant Principal of Instruction at Bob Jones. In addition, Finlay, Hyams, Jacobs-Lanier and Walker plan to host leadership and professionalism mini-camps at Bob Jones.

Walker, a sophomore, said her main takeaway from this training “is how much influence we have on other people. How we act and how we treat others will have a lasting influence on that person.”

“We really learned a lot about how we can all have our own strengths. I think that is what I will carry with me,” Walker said.

Hyams, who is a senior, learned “the importance of inclusion. I learned how to better communicate with people I do not know.” Meagan Fleenor is their sponsor.

Established by the Military Child Education Coalition in 2006, the Frances Hesselbein Student Leadership Program offers select students an intensive leadership‐building experience. The four Bob Jones students attended in association with a longstanding partnership with West Point and the S2S team.

“The S2S goal is 100-perfect acceptance of new students as they transition in and out of their new schools. Designed with the military child in mind, the program has grown to include all transitioning students,” Debra Longley with Military Child Education Coalition said. Core values for S2S are leadership, academics, service, finding the way and relationships.

Each team received $500 to implement a leadership project on their home campus. “Teams will spend their time talking with influential leaders, sharing ideas and challenges and participating in teambuilding activities led by West Point faculty, distinguished guests and the MCEC Student Programs Team. With more than 200 active S2S programs globally, this is a great honor for the Bob Jones community and school district,” Thaxton said.

For more information, visit MilitaryChild.org.