Leadership Lab Gives Students a Voice in School Culture Conversations

Through this signature Severn initiative, returning Upper School students come together at the end of each summer to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the school community, participate in interactive skill-building seminars, and come up with a unifying call to action for the school year, or what is known as the Adaptive Challenge.

But underneath the ambitious agenda and the lively leadership training, something even more significant is happening—by showing up and engaging in these sessions, students are molding, modeling, and directly contributing to the continued development of Severn’s culture. And without fail, the culture that they aspire to each and every year is one that makes everyone feel like they belong.

"When you think about it, we are with each other here at Severn more than we are with our own families," said Marc Buckley, Upper School Dean and Assistant Upper School Head. "So, this initiative challenges students to invest and take an active role in creating the kind of community we all want to live in and be a part of. And every year, this gathering of motivated students validates the fact that what’s important to them is making sure that, in an authentic way, everyone feels a sense of belonging.”

Coming up with the Adaptive Challenge is the culminating component of the August event. Chosen entirely by the students, it is an overwhelmingly positive call to action and a rallying cry for the school community. It is always active and always aspirational. There is, though, one catch when selecting the Adaptive Challenge—the final decision must be unanimous.

The Adaptive Challenge aims to offer a solution to something that Leadership Lab participants identified as a challenge in the earlier seminars. For example, coming out of the COVID year, the motto was Let's Connect—a call to action meant to address students' lack of connection with the community after learning remotely. In 2022-23, it was Let's Actually Go – a lighthearted and somewhat tongue-in-cheek motto designed to encourage more school spirit and participation in non-academic events. In 2021-22, it was All In.

It’s generally a short—but powerful—phrase that seeks to include everyone and has relevance throughout the entire school year. Students embrace this motto by showing up at athletic events, diving into clubs, demonstrating overall school spirit, meeting new people, celebrating college admission milestones and acceptances, and simply being good members of the school community.

Buckley has been running the Leadership Lab for the past nine years and says the Adaptive Challenge is like climbing Mount Everest. “You might not reach the summit, but you’re better off for having attempted it,” he said. “It’s essentially an unattainable goal,” he added, “but by everyone pursuing it to varying degrees, the entire community gets stronger.”

Participation in the Leadership Lab is voluntary, and typically anywhere from 100-125 students attend—or roughly 30% of the student body. This is precisely why Em Fritz '25 thinks the Leadership Lab is so effective at modeling that instinctive inclusivity that is part of the Severn culture. “There isn’t anybody at Leadership Lab who doesn’t want to be there,” said Fritz. “If you’re coming to school over the summer or on a Saturday, then you really want to be a part of this." It's also why they enjoy it. "Everyone who's there cares a lot, and because everyone is invested, we make meaningful connections with people we maybe didn't know before and then have these really great conversations.”

"People care, and the fact that we can come together like this to discuss the culture and then agree to a call to action that helps improve it says a lot about the community," said Jameila Pennant ’25, secretary of the Student Council and a Leadership Lab participant. “It’s a great example of the real spirit of Severn.”

Participating in the Leadership Lab is a choice,” added Fritz, “so if you’re looking for a sense of belonging, that’s where you’re going to find it.”

The August Leadership Lab spans three days, and students invest about ten total hours. The first thing on the agenda is always a welcome-back dinner. After getting reacquainted after the summer apart, students get down to business, starting with small group discussions about what they believe are the school’s strengths and areas in need of improvement.

On the second day, students rotate through three separate seminars, all led by Severn faculty. This past August, one of the seminars focused on how to lead a more effective organization. For students, this translates to how to lead the various clubs they are involved with more effectively. An outdoor activity at the James M. Stine Environmental Center on Teel Campus focused on team building, leadership, and collaboration. And in a third interactive session,  faculty moderators led students in discussions about what it means to live in an honorable community.

“This is a chance for students to see each other before the school year starts and to frame the year,” said Buckley. “The programming is very intentional. Leadership Lab participants are true believers, so we want to match their excitement through seminars designed to help them become better people and better leaders while highlighting and trying to solve some of our community’s biggest challenges.”

With these leadership training exercises and thoughtful discussions as the foundation, students come to the last day of the August Leadership Lab ready for the final challenge: coming up with the Adaptive Challenge.

That final session begins with Buckley standing in front of everyone who has gathered for day three in Roche Hall. As Julia Hlousek ‘24 put it, "Mr. Buckley stands up and says, 'Alright, call it out!' And after a bit of uncomfortable silence, one brave soul decides to go first. That’s generally all it takes to get us started.” At the end of this first phase, the group ends up with anywhere from 20-40 initial suggestions on the whiteboard. Then comes the important work of discussing each one.

“Everybody’s ideas were heard,” said Kyla Towa ’26, who participated in her first Leadership Lab in August. “We discussed every single suggestion. No one’s idea was dismissed or given more weight than someone else’s. It really felt like we were all being listened to and that it was an environment where you had total comfort to speak up.”

The energy is always high as students go through and begin to eliminate, combine, and refine the suggestions for the Adaptive Challenge for the school year. They generally winnow the list down to two or three options quickly, and inside of two hours they almost always reach a consensus.

Hlousek, now a senior, has participated in the Leadership Lab every year since she was a rising sophomore. She has looked forward to every single one. “Looking back on it now, I realize how much I looked forward to those events, especially the interesting conversations and bonding with new people,” she said. "I really think that’s one of my favorite things about Severn. There are always opportunities to get to know people in different grades and hear their stories.”

"It's a nice way to bring the student body together as equals," said Towa. "No one person was dominating the conversation. People who had maybe never spoken to one another before were working together to build consensus. It was honestly really beautiful to see.”

When all was said and done, Be the Difference was the unanimous choice for the 2023-24 Adaptive Challenge. The phrase is displayed on posters around the Upper School, added to emails promoting clubs, games, performances, service opportunities, and more, and is an oft-repeated refrain during Morning Meeting presentations. It means something slightly different to everyone, but for Towa, “It means you can always be the good, even in bad situations. You’re never too small to make a difference.”

For Fritz, Be the Difference is a continuation of a culture that already exists at Severn. “People here are generally proactive about making a difference,” they said. “They want to hold leadership positions, serve on committees, and help introduce Severn to new students and families. I think that’s partly because we are a small school, so everyone’s individual impact on the community is just a little bit bigger.”

Hlousek agreed, adding, "It's all about positive changes, and they can be big or small. The point is to make a positive difference in your life and your community.”

“I see it reflected everywhere at Severn,” added Towa. “It’s a place where you don’t just pass by teachers in the hallway and not say anything. We hold doors for everyone. And maybe sometimes the person ahead of you forgets to do that, but ‘Be the Difference’ means that despite that, you still hold the door for the person behind you.”

This story originally appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of The Bridge. To see the digital version, click here.