Botetourt Kiwanis Club Contributes to Elementary Leadership Program

by Kevin Meade

The Botetourt Kiwanis Club recently contributed $1,000 to the Colonial Elementary School's "Leader In Me Program". Colonial Elementary School recently began a program designed to instill the "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey into the everyday life of the Colonial students & faculty. The program is one of only two in the entire State of Virginia and has started incorporating the precepts in the classroom on a daily basis.

The school's principal, Tammy Riggs, was intent on starting a leadership program in her school because, as she puts it, "Our six years of elementary school are so important---we have the greatest chance of making an impact." Stephen Covey asked in his book "Seven Habits of Happy Kids", "We only get one chance to prepare our students for a future that none of us can possibly predict. What are we going to do with that chance?".

The teachers and staff have raised $25,000 to get the training required to start the program and the Botetourt Kiwanis felt this was a perfect endeavor for which to contribute. Club President Hiawatha Nicely said, "Wow, what a program for elementary students to adopt! The leadership at Colonial have taken on a project that, if carried forward, will have a lasting influence on students for a lifetime."