Madison Elementary school staff celebrate achieving Lighthouse School status at their Open House night on Monday. (Photo by Gwen Sour)

PARKERSBURG — At a school open house Monday, Madison Elementary School unveiled that the school has been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by FranklinCovey Education.

The recognition highlighted the work the school performed in developing leadership skills in both staff and students.

According to Principal Valissa Porter, the certification proves Madison Elementary has outstanding results in fostering leadership skills and demonstrates the extraordinary impact the school is having on staff, students, parents, and the greater community.

“We want our students to become leaders and take those skills to use them in the future, that’s our main goal,” Porter said.

Leader in Me is an evidence-based PK-12 model developed in partnership with educators. It is designed to build resilience and leadership in students, create a high-trust culture and help improve academic achievement.

The model aims to equip students, educators and families with the leadership and life skills needed to thrive, adapt and contribute in a dynamic world. Leader in Me unites students, staff and families around a common goal to prepare students with college, career, and life-readiness skills.

“We are honored to have been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. We have seen amazing results from implementing the Leader in Me model at our school over the last nine years,” Porter said.

“Our former and current staff, students, and parents have all worked together to help us achieve this school goal. We have seen so much growth in our students through their school leadership roles and our amazing school culture, and we expect to see even greater results over time,” Porter said.

She invited all of the school’s 5th graders from last year, parents, staff and students to attend the Board of Education meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 27 at Madison School “to be recognized for their efforts.”

FranklinCovey Education has designed the Lighthouse Rubric to establish high standards for quality and, ultimately, school outcomes. Schools use the Lighthouse Rubric to measure outcomes in teaching leadership principles, creating a leadership culture and aligning academic systems. Schools also measure their success as it relates to their school. Lighthouse Schools serve as examples to their community and to other schools.

“We are thrilled to recognize Madison Elementary as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. Schools who achieve this Lighthouse Certification are great examples of a strong leadership model, and of what it means to be a Leader in Me school,”

Sean Covey, President, FranklinCovey Education, said. “This school has experienced incredible results by implementing the principles and practices related to Leader in Me. And we are so pleased and honored to be their partner and to celebrate the success they are experiencing.”

Madison Elementary will maintain its Lighthouse Certification for two years and will continue to foster its growth and proficiency in exemplifying a leadership culture and principles. At the end of the two years the school will recertify its Lighthouse Certification through a virtual self-assessment, describing and celebrating its growth and accomplishments since its original Lighthouse designation.

Gwen Sour can be reached at gsour@newsandsentinel.com.