James River High School Leadership Program

In cooperation with James River High School and the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond

Description

This four-year program is for students who wish to study and develop leadership skills with an emphasis on international relations. The goal of the program is to develop students’ capacity to recognize and practice ethical leadership in the context of community, national, and international affairs. Students begin and end their journey at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies, first with a freshmen orientation to study the fundamentals of leadership then as seniors with an exit session to reinforce those fundamentals and reflect on them as they graduate. Students in the program spend their four years of high school taking courses in both American and world studies, engaging in service projects around their local and global community, and participating in field trips to witness first-hand the practical leadership in the world around them.

For more information, visit the James River High School Leadership Program online at jrhsleadership.net.

Application and Selection

Students interested in participating in the program apply in the spring of their 8th grade year. The application requires an essay, teacher recommendations, 7th and 8th grade transcripts, and an interview. Each component is assigned a number score and each application receives a total score. Of the 200 to 250 applications received each year, 50 students are accepted into the program.

For applications forms and instructions visit http://jrhsleadership.net and click on the "Application Process" link.

Freshmen Orientation Program

Incoming freshman to the program start their journey with an intensive 3-day orientation program at the University of Richmond to study the basics of leadership. Representatives from the Jepson School of Leadership Studies join the program’s coordinators to expose students to the exciting and challenging quest to understanding and practicing leadership in both a local and global context. Themes include:

• What is Leadership?
• Leadership and International Issues
• Effective Followership
• Moral Leadership
• Citizen and Servant Leadership

Groups participate in various discussions and hands-on activities. Students identify traits and behaviors of modern leaders, assess leadership pertaining to international issues, and reflect on the role of their own morals and values in their lives. This orientation provides freshmen participants with a fundamental understanding of leadership which they cultivate and develop during their high school years in the program.

During the School Year

During the school year, students take three courses together, including one class in English, another in social studies, and a leadership elective. The program coordinates a variety of field trips, as well. These range from participating in the outdoor ropes course at Challenge Discovery to visiting Washington D.C. and meeting with officials from the State Department. Combining in-class study with extracurricular activities provides students with theoretical and practical experience in the world of leadership.

Senior Exit Program

Seniors return to the halls of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies for a senior exit program to reinforce the fundamental leadership concepts they began studying four years before. An emphasis is placed on the concept of global community and how students can put leadership into action to affect change in their world.

Students also engage in a culminating reading activity their senior year and explore it in depth during this session. For example, students have read Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder, which tells the story of an American doctor from Boston who works to establish healthcare services in rural Haiti. Seniors apply their own knowledge of leadership to interpreting the text and work to translate what they read on paper into a personal plan of action to use their leadership skills to make the world a better place.

Reflections

Coming soon...

Resources

• Download the current print brochure (972 KB PDF)
• Review an album of 2005 photos (Shutterfly® photo gallery)
• Visit the program Web site at http://jrhsleadership.net

Contact Us

For more information, please contact:

Mrs. Sarah Mansfield
Coordinator
Center for Leadership and International Relations
Sarah_Mansfield@ccpsnet.net
(804) 378-2420, ext. 165

Ms. Autumn Nabors
Senior Internship & Capstone Project Coordinator
Center for Leadership and International Relations
Autumn_Nabors@ccpsnet.net
(804) 378-2420