Flint Hill sponsors several formal leadership groups to which students can apply starting at the end of 9th grade and serve in every year after that through their senior year. Students complete a common application with portions tailored to the specific leadership groups to which they apply. Depending on the group, candidates are chosen either by student elections or by a committee of the faculty sponsors, and I oversee the leadership process as a whole.

The leadership groups at Flint Hill are:

• Academic Honor Council
• Ambassadors
• Athletic Advisory Council
• Conduct Council
• Peer Advisors
• Student Council Association

In addition, the Junior Ambassadors program provides an opportunity exclusive to our 9th graders.

More than 150 students who are chosen for these groups take part in leadership training the week before our regular school year starts. We focus on building a shared language around leadership while helping students clarify purpose, roles, and responsibilities for the year ahead. We aim to make this an experience that emphasizes adaptive leadership and the importance of cultivating belonging. The training includes an introduction to leadership concepts and challenges, with different breakout sessions addressing the many aspects of leadership behavior.

While planning major events such as Homecoming Under the Lights week, supporting the acclimation of 9th grade advisories, guiding visits and tours of the school, adjudicating academic infractions and recommending consequences for cases of student misconduct, and representing the student body to the administration, these groups collectively play an important role in the life of all students at Flint Hill.

Students who have a vision for an event, have questions about how to apply to a leadership group, or who need logistical support for a proposed meeting or even a club-related field trip receive support from my office to vet their ideas and meet their leadership goals.

I am proud of the many examples that abound, both big and small, of ideas conceived by students and nurtured into fruition under the mentorship of caring adults. It speaks to the potential for personal growth and development that awaits any student who chooses to embrace the flexibility and variety of the opportunities within our student leadership process.

Jeremiah Shepherd is the Upper School Dean of Students.