Showcasing students leading the way in Rocky View Schools (RVS), student leaders presented a delegation about Project ROAR – an initiative designed to keep youth connected during COVID-19 – at the March 4 Board of Trustees meeting.
Rocky View Leadership Academy (RVLA) members Toby Carter, Rylie Dolhan and Kaisha Snyder were on hand to explain to the trustees how COVID-19 has transformed their experience with RVLA and sparked the creation of Project ROAR.
RVLA is a district-wide program that allows student leaders to meet, collaborate and learn from each other, said Carter, a Grade 11 student at Bow Valley High School. He said this involves hands-on sessions and working with the community.
"We want to deepen our sense of self and broaden our network of connections," Carter said. "I've met tons of new people, even Kaisha and Riley, that I would never have met without RVLA."
The academy is made up of a three-year sequence. The first year has a strong sense of leading self, the second year is focused on leading as a team and the third year is focused on leading the community.
Carter, Dolhand and Snyder, who are all in Grade 11, are currently in the second year.
Typically, the young leaders would spend their second year in RVLA planning to host a Middle School Student Leadership Conference, though this has not been possible during COVID-19.
"We had to adapt our approach this year and we certainly drew on the strengths of students and their creativity and ingenuity," said teacher Lauren Curry.
Students in their second year rallied together to develop a new form of RVLA, Curry said, and found creative ways to enhance their social and emotional learning during the pandemic.
Students managed to stay connected by moving online for monthly sessions with other students, Dolhan said, through the creation of Project ROAR (Reach Out And Reconnect). The meetings included small groups of students and played a major role in combating the disconnect and isolation many were feeling during online schooling.
There are currently about 20 students in their second year of RVLA. Together, they form groups of up to five leaders who then lead elementary or middle school students in various activities.
A decision was made this year that rather than having one student leader working with multiple grades, Curry said groups of three to five were formed because of the unpredictability of COVID-19.
"There are times when we've had a student have to step away for a variety of reasons," Curry said. "It has really, truly been a team effort in making these sessions come alive."
Dolhan added while most sessions follow the same general format, leaders can adapt their planned activities to the grade they are engaging with.
A typical session is formed by RVLA leaders working with different grade levels. Together, the leaders create program sessions and plan activities around a special theme, said Snyder, who attends W.H. Croxford High School. These actions in turn generate conversation and discussions between students.
"We're trying to fit as much fun as we can into a 45-minute window," Kaisha said. "Not only do we want to have fun with the kids but we also still want to make an impression on them and teach them a little about what we're learning as well."
The biggest challenge they faced has been using online platforms and plugging into sessions while ensuring engagement with participating students, Snyder said. RVLA members learned to use many new online platforms and incorporate them into sessions. They have also set up Google Classrooms, Noodle Software and email to stay connected.
"The impact of ROAR on the students that are running it, RVLA and also the kids that are participating in it, has been way bigger than any of us could have imagined," Carter said. "When you finish the sessions, they're always asking for more time or to meet for more sessions in a month. It's so fulfilling because it provides these connections and this fun that we always get as much when you're in an online setting."
After the presentation, RVS Superintendent Greg Luterbach said it was impressive to see how the students have adapted to COVID-19 and created Project ROAR. He added the project is special because it is the product of passionate students and teachers working together to make RVS the best culture possible.
"People dust themselves off and say, OK, here's the challenge, how are we going to do this?" Luterbach said. "They're meeting a need and providing leadership opportunities to students."
Ward 5 Trustee Judi Hunter praised RVLA and the opportunities it will create for students as they grow older.
The program has taught the student leaders interesting and useful tools while providing the opportunity to problem solve in unique ways, she said. She noted the online tools they used are also interesting and will have a lasting impact.
"That mind shift is really an important facet of what we are living to," Hunter said. "There is nothing that can be an obstacle if you can think of it differently."
