Forest View Elementary was named a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by Franklin Covey Co. in January 2017. This recognition occurred because the school has achieved outstanding results in school and student outcomes, by implementing The Leader in Me process. It is also because of the extraordinary impact the school is having on staff, students, parents, and the greater community.

Sean Covey, education practice leader with Franklin Covey, said, “We are thrilled to recognize Forest View Elementary as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. Schools who achieve the Lighthouse milestone are great examples of a strong leadership model, process, and of what it means to be a Leader in Me school. This school has experienced transformational results by implementing the principles and practices related to The Leader in Me. We are so pleased to celebrate the success they are experiencing.”

The Leader in Me is a whole-school transformation model — developed in partnership with educators — that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st century. It is based on secular principles and practices of personal, interpersonal, and organizational effectiveness.

The Leader in Me utilizes and integrates several leadership, social-emotional learning, quality, and educational models and processes from past and current thought leaders including The 4 Imperatives of Great Leaders and The 4 Disciplines of Execution. The process includes student participation in goal setting, data tracking, leadership roles, student-led conferences, leadership environments, and leadership events. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is also a key component of the overall Leader in Me process and is a synthesis of universal, timeless principles of personal, interpersonal, and organizational effectiveness such as responsibility, vision, integrity, teamwork, collaboration, and renewal, which are secular in nature and common to all people and cultures.

Becoming a Lighthouse School is a recognition schools earn because they have produced outstanding results in school and student outcomes by implementing The Leader in Me with fidelity. More than 150 schools have achieved this prestigious milestone.

“We appreciate that the Lighthouse award is a recognition of our efforts in forming a leadership school and building a leadership culture,” Forest View Principal Mark Heck said. “It’s hard work and very challenging but we have been energized and motivated by the results it produces. The Leader in Me program is not ‘one more thing’ for a school to take on. It fits seamlessly into what the school is already expected to do and it just makes it better. Culture is important to us at Forest View and with the help of the Leader in Me philosophy and guiding paradigms, we work hard every day to develop a strong school culture. Our students are proud to say that they go to a leadership school and we are defined by that. The Leader in Me program has impacted practically everything we do at Forest View from the way we plan our school events to the expectations we have of our students in the classroom.” 

“A staff member shared this quote from Walt Disney which really sums the Lighthouse award up for us. ‘Whatever we accomplish belongs to our entire group, a tribute to our combined effort.’  Becoming a Lighthouse school could not have been accomplished without the synergy at Forest View between students, staff, and parents. As Walt Disney said, it is truly a combined effort.”

“As a district, we are extremely proud of the Lighthouse distinction for the entire Forest View Elementary community,” said Executive Director of General Administration and Elementary Programs Brent Yeager. “This recognition is extremely important as students are the leaders who brought a vision into reality. Students, staff, and parents are all vested in living out the 7-Habits.”