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Professional Inquiry Project Proposal

SWAT: Student Wellness Action Team:
Empowering Elementary Leaders, Nourishing Healthy Role Models
Inquiry Question:
How should teachers facilitate leadership opportunities to empower elementary
students to become healthy role models and leaders?

Rationale
The most meaningful educational opportunity I experienced in school was as
a student in my high schools leadership program. This leadership program not only
offered volunteer and fundraising opportunities, but also a unique peer mentorship
opportunity. Grade 11 and 12 leadership students could elect to participate in
Health-in-Perspective (HIP), a peer mentorship program in which female high school
leadership students would design lessons and activities to mentor grade 5 girls on
the topics of healthy diet, positive body image and active living. This is where many
high school students, myself included, discovered their passion for teaching. This
opportunity to mentor younger students promoted communication skills, leadership
and teamwork skills, and greater self-confidence.
Now as a teacher of grade 5 students, I see the potential for my students to
be positive peer mentors for younger students. After speaking with several staff in
our school, the general consensus was that the grade 5 students, the eldest in the
school, could be better role models, especially during recess. When younger
students face conflict, they often approach teachers first to solve their problems. In
the interest of promoting positive peer relationships and effective conflict resolution
skills, I would like to explore how student leadership opportunities could empower
grade 5 students inside and outside of the classroom.
Conversations with several teachers indicate that my PIP will leave a legacy
as it fulfills the philosophy of my school. St. Thomas Aquinas School has a
philosophy centred on three Rs: responsibility, respect and resiliency. In addition,
at the beginning of each school year, the entire school reads Tom Rath and Mary
Rechmeyers How full is your bucket? to emphasize the three Rs. Moreover, St.
Thomas Aquinas is a Healthy Choices school. Students and parents may only

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provide healthy treats for special occasions. Thus, a student leadership club with a
focus on becoming healthy role models will embody the school values.
A leadership club would also align with Inspiring Education and Cross
Curricular Competencies. Leadership opportunities would promote Inspiring
Educations ethical citizenship. I would also like to explore how extracurricular
leadership opportunities and Health lessons, with a focus on conflict resolution, will
demonstrate four of the ten Cross-Curricular Competencies identified by Alberta
Regional Consortia in 2014.

identify and solve complex problems

create opportunities
demonstrate good communication skills and the ability to work cooperatively

with others
identify and apply career and life skills

These cross curricular competencies will be demonstrated through a leadership

project developed with students.

Description of Project
My project will take the form of establishing a student leadership club that
will meet two lunch recess periods per week (in the fall). I plan to create a
teacher/facilitator resource for the club with a timeline of projects, activities,
reflections, and resources for the clubs first year which will serve as a model for
subsequent years. This resource will be available as a Weebly site that I plan to
update with further media resources.
I have partnered with a first-year grade 1 teacher to establish objectives for
our club and facilitate meetings and projects. I also have the additional support of
another teacher who has offered to support the club in January, once I have
completed my practicum. In addition, the school nurse has offered to attend the
clubs weekly meetings to guide activities relating to health.

Timeline
October:

week of October 5-8: invite all grade 5 students to join Leadership Club and
establish focus (gauge interests and commitment)

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week of October 13 16: invite school nurse to attend a meeting, leadership

skill-building intro activities

week of October 19 - 23: leadership anchor lessons and building skills.

November:

Brainstorm first leadership project with students. Some brainstorming ideas

from the grade 1 teacher and I are: creating a healthy choice promotional
video for the school website; establishing student-led intramurals for lunch
recess to encourage active living and positive play; and collecting and
reading bucket filler nominations. *Facilitate student project.

December:
December 7: PIP due complete final reflection.
December 14: final meeting with students before Christmas Holidays. Wrapup student project.

Final Product
As mentioned in Description, my final product will be an elementary Leadership Club
Teacher/Facilitator guide with a timeline, potential projects, leadership activities to
develop cross curricular competencies which any teacher may adapt. I will compile
these materials to a Weebly site so I can link relevant leadership videos, resources,
etc. and update information as necessary.
I will also collect evidence from the student leadership project with reflections from
students and the facilitating teachers.

Bibliography:
Alberta Regional Consortia. (2014.) Cross Curricular Competencies. Alberta
Education.
Covey, Stephen R et. al. (2014). The Leader in Me. 2 nd ed. Simon and Schuster.
Framework for Student learning: Competencies for Engaged Thinkers and Ethical
Citizens with an
Entrepreneurial Spirit. (2011). Alberta Education.
Kane, Heather A. (1998). Student Leadership. University of Lethbridge.
Sather, David. (2005). Healthy and ready to learn. Educational Leadership 63.1.

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(2010). Peer Leadership: a guide to implementing school-based leadership
programs. Alberta Health Services.