For Students

Discover Leadership Institute

This institute is a two-day intensive program designed to challenge students to think critically about leadership and how they can apply their own skills as young leaders.  The program is both theoretical and practical in nature.  It utilizes reading assignments, multi-media resources, and lecture-style seminars to expose students to the fundamental ideas and theories of leadership.  These themes are then put into action through exercises and activities that encourage students to think creatively and develop their personal leadership philosophy as well as valuable leadership skills they can use in their daily lives.

Learn more at the Discover Leadership Institute page.

Emerging Leaders Program

The Emerging Leaders Program is a year-long experience for high school seniors in Hanover County.  Each spring, the four major high schools accept an ambitious group of students to spend their final year exploring the complex dynamics of leadership. These students show strong character, academic ability, and leadership potential.  The program begins with a Summer Experience at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond where students get to meet and learn with participants from the other area high schools.  During the academic year, each school’s class of Emerging Leaders meets regularly to discuss leadership, take trips to visit real-world leaders in the community, and adopt a year-long project to put their leadership skills into practice toward a collective goal.

Learn more at the Emerging Leaders Program page.

Heart of the Team

The Heart of the Team is a youth leadership program designed to help prepare high school athletes to be principled leaders and act as role models both on and off the field. During the one-day program, students engage in workshops, participate in group activities, and attend presentations by local leaders. The curriculum focuses on promoting values, attitudes, and skills that are critical to effective leadership. The ultimate goal is to provide students with information and knowledge that will enhance their success as team leaders so when they leave at day's end, they are prepared to lead by example and positively influence their teammates in sports and beyond.

Learn more at the Heart of the Team page.

James River High School Leadership Program

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.

Learn more at the James River High School Leadership Program page.