Randolph Central School seniors taking part in Leadership Engagement classes are pictured with activities they created for Eclipse Day activities with some of the district’s elementary school students.

RANDOLPH – A partnership between Randolph Central School and Jamestown Community College is paying off for the rest of the Randolph community.

Two years ago, Randolph approved a partnership with JCC to offer two leadership courses for Randolph seniors.

To facilitate the JCC Leadership Development classes, it is required that there is a teacher equipped with the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Leadership Development Studies Certification. Sara Congdon undertook the three-day course. Participants of Randolph’s JCC Leadership classes have the opportunity to earn a micro-credential through JCC upon completion of the courses. This digital badge, displayed on their transcripts, is seen on job applications, college admissions and other leadership opportunities beyond high school.

“Our leadership students have made relationships with our elementary kids to better themselves, whether it is showing them how to be more organized, clean their lockers, or just be a better leader,” Congdon said.

This academic year witnessed the continuation of Leadership Engagement at RCS, with 16 seniors participating in the fall semester and 13 currently enrolled in the ongoing Leadership Development class until the academic year’s end.

A core objective of the class is to strengthen connections between the high school and elementary school as well as the rest of the community. Noteworthy events Leadership Engagement students have assisted with include the annual DOT Day Activities, Safety Day, Randolph’s Make-A-Difference Day and a Solar Eclipse Day. They also engage in a special mentoring program with middle school students.

During a recent visit to Gail N. Chapman Elementary School before Spring Recess, leadership students immersed themselves in interactive activities related to the solar eclipse, spanning across all grades from pre-kindergarten through sixth grades. Under the guidance of elementary teacher Autumn Harkness, the leadership students facilitated engaging activities, including completing papers for a time capsule, crafting glow-in-the-dark necklaces, illustrating eclipse phases with Oreos, exploring educational literature, and emphasizing the importance of safety glasses.

“The leadership students have really played an important role in providing a sense of community within the district,” Harkness said. “It is clear that our students have taken activities created by other faculty and executed them successfully or created activities to teach the elementary students as well as learned valuable lessons along the way.”