Students attend a summer overnight retreat at Camden Catholic High School, Cherry Hill. The school has established a Leadership Academy, focusing on core values of faith, excellence, creativity, unity and passion.
Photo by Alan M. Dumoff, more photos ccdphotolibrary.smugmug.com
Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill has established The Leadership Academy, a program to teach students the skills found in the fields of positive psychology and resilience.
The Academy will pool students from four natural leadership positions and hold workshops over the course of the year to teach them about the core values and competencies.
Students from Student Government, Green and White Ambassador Society, Link Crew Orientation, and the Christian Leadership class are invited to the Academy.
Based on the core values of faith, excellence, creativity, unity and passion, the Leadership Academy will enable students to learn about themselves, discover and develop their inner-strengths, and find meaning in life, say school officials.
Supplementing the core values are four core competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Development, Relationship Development and Professional Development.
Over the summer, students participated in workshops to learn about these core values and competencies. The Leadership Academy held an overnight retreat to discuss planning in each department and how to incorporate the core values and competencies into each facet of their work.
Moving forward into the school year, The Leadership Academy will have its own workspace in the school. Students in the academy will be utilizing this renovated area to continue projects that were discussed at the retreat.
“This is just another way we provide a complete education to our students,” said Mary Whipkey, interim president and director of admissions. “The dedication our students show is inspiring. They are doing this to become well-rounded young men and women. It was wonderful to see them on the retreat engaging in open discussion, brainstorming, and presenting with their peers.”
Founder and director Gabriel Paoletti ’01 is currently pursuing his doctorate in leadership and is currently working for the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology center.
“This program is certainly unique,” said Paoletti. “We are taking students from four aspects of the school and giving them a cohesive education on leadership based on our core values and competencies. This, combined with our retreats, gives our students greater self-awareness and makes them more effective leaders.”
Paoletti has been working with the U.S. Army Comprehensive Soldier and Family Fitness leadership development program to build resilience and enhance the performance of every soldier, family member, and DA civilian.
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