The continually shifting world of technology, culture, and society requires people and their leaders to be open to change. As the world alters its focus, so must its leaders. High school is a time when students entering the adult world begin to test and develop leadership skills.
At St. Paul Academy and Summit School, many opportunities are provided to strengthen leadership skills—ranging from communicating with different people to making smart and beneficial decisions for the community. Student groups and academic teams are just a few of the many leadership roles students take on in and outside of SPA.
Junior Kathryn Schmechel has been a member of Youth in Government for two years now.
Schmechel was a committee chair this year for National Issues Forum which approaches national issues by writing proposals and outlines for what actions should be taken. She helped the presiding officer coordinate and run two different committees to pass on proposals as well as debating in the general assembly.
“I got to have the best of both worlds where I had a leadership position but I also got to take on the action of other delegates as well,” Schmechel said.
Stepping up to a higher position as a leader comes with challenges and most likely a few stumbles. As someone who was both part of the participant and authoritative body, Schmechel had to direct her peers while relating and approaching topics the same way they were doing.
“It’s sometimes hard to find that balance between having a good time and having fun and making sure that you don’t seem like you’re too much of a stickler with the rules but at the same time having control over the situation and the group of people,” Schmechel said.
But, with leadership positions comes rewarding moments and valuable lessons that are applicable in facing future decisions.
“[Youth in Government] helped me understand how to be a leader in a community where everybody is very involved and active and it taught me a lot about what I want to do when I’m older,” Schmechel said.
Student groups at SPA also offer leadership roles that give students a chance to connect with their peers on a different level by challenging them to lead discussions and direct behavior.
Junior Lutalo Jones is the co-president of Common Ground this year. Jones helped plan the MLK assembly on Jan. 11 with playwright Aamera Siddiqui and aims to invite more student acting to the stage. Jones’s respect for the previous Common Ground presidents as an underclassman inspired him to be the next co-president.
“The rewards [of being president] would be common respect from everybody else and just being able to lead someone for once,” Jones said.
Although it’s been hard for Jones to get people to go to Common Ground, he intends to maintain his role as a visionary leader and work with his co-president to improve students’ experiences.
Underclassmen who want to jump into the world of leadership right away benefit by obtaining essential leading skills and getting a taste of being a class representative, treasurer, or president, early.

Although Katz holds a position of authority, she views her own opinions of equal importance as her peers because being a leader is impossible without contribution from the body.

“I’m as much a part of the student body as I am a leader,” Katz said.
Senior George Stiffman, the co-president of Student Political Union, leads the student group as a pacesetting leader. Striving for efficiency and directness, he’s able to facilitate discussions and revise SPU’s image.
“Part of me really disagrees with being a democratic leader directly because I think it’s really slow and it’s hard to make changes,” Stiffman said. “Keeping in mind the best interests of everyone else, obviously that’s the most important, but once you make a decision and you see that it’s not the perfect choice, you know you can always edit as you go.”
Stiffman believes confidence is the key to running an active, efficient discussion. He uses his background knowledge in politics to his advantage. Being able to help younger students motivated Stiffman to aspire to be an effective, inclusive leader.

“Being a leader, you just need to make decisions. You either do something or you don’t,” Stiffman said.
He believes that although leaders will make mistakes, a solution is always available. Because of the conflicts in past years involving social media, Stiffman hopes he can rebuild SPU’s image with his determination and lead the group in a positive, welcoming setting with his knowledge.
Considering these four leadership experiences, anyone can become a leader with enough practice and fearlessness. Although the responsibilities that come with being a student leader may seem a lot to take on, how people act under pressure reveal what kind of leader they are.