Huntingburg Elementary pursuing student leadership initiative certification
Thursday, students from Huntingburg Elementary took center stage at the Southwest Dubois County School board meeting, presenting their leadership notebooks to board members as part of the school’s journey to become a Leader in Me Lighthouse school.
The Leader in Me Lighthouse School certification is awarded by the global organization FranklinCovey as recognition that schools have gone above and beyond in embedding leadership principles throughout school life. Based on the teachings found in Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the Leader in Me program encourages students of all ages to take ownership of their learning, develop strong character, and step into leadership roles within their school and community.
To earn Lighthouse status, schools must demonstrate measurable growth in areas such as student achievement, staff culture, family engagement, and school-wide leadership opportunities.
Huntingburg Principal Megan Anselment led the presentation, explaining that the leadership notebooks represent a shift toward student ownership of learning rather than traditional teacher-directed instruction within the program.
“We are working our way to be a Lighthouse school with Leader in Me,” Anselment said. “One of the most important pieces of that is that students are taking that ownership in their learning. It’s not just the teachers making the lesson plans, but these guys know what they’re doing and why.”
The leadership notebooks serve as comprehensive tracking systems where students document their learning progress, achievements and goals. Students use the binders daily or weekly, with teachers handing back tests that students immediately track to understand their performance.
“We want them to know where they are and where they’re growing,” Anselment said.
The school implemented student-led conferences for the first time this year, with students from kindergarten through fifth grade presenting their notebooks to their parents. This represents a significant departure from traditional parent-teacher conferences.
“Whenever the student is engaged, and they’re reflecting in their own learning, we’re building the habits that strengthen their achievement and their independence,” Anselment explained. “They’re learning how to look at data, their performance. They’re learning how to set goals, smart goals.”
Teachers work with students to develop achievable goals, helping them move beyond unrealistic aspirations to concrete, attainable objectives.
The school has also implemented a buddy class system in which different grade levels pair up for various activities throughout the year. Fourth graders share their learning with first graders, while first graders present to fifth graders in building-wide exchanges.
“This happens building wide, which is a really cool practice to bring our kids together and let them share,” Anselment told the board.
During the presentation, 10 students from kindergarten through fifth grade sat with individual board members to walk through their leadership notebooks. Each student followed a structured agenda, introducing themselves and sharing their academic progress and personal goals.
The students demonstrated confidence in discussing their academic progress, personal interests and future aspirations. Board president Jon Menke commended the program, saying he met “a future pediatrician and an NBA player” among the presenting students.
The leadership notebook initiative represents part of Huntingburg Elementary’s broader educational philosophy, focusing on developing the whole child rather than solely academic achievement.
“It is the whole person we do educate the whole child from getting to know them, you know, just as a person and watching everything they can do and achieve,” Anselment said.
Also during the meeting, Superintendent Mehaffey highlighted upcoming events, including the Athletic Department’s inaugural Raider Day of Caring on June 24, 2026. High school athletes will partner with A Kids Place, a local childcare business, for community service projects from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The service projects will include lawn and landscape maintenance, organizational tasks and house maintenance to support local community needs.
Mehaffey also recognized academic achievements across the district. Seven sixth-grade students at the middle school received perfect scores on their recent ILearn Checkpoint 3, which Mahaffy described as “very rare.”
At Huntingburg Elementary, the math bowl team finished second in their division in a recent competition against strong competition. Holland Elementary’s math bowl team finished first in the red small school division at Cedar Crest.
Mehaffey also recognized Maleah Dearing, Aubree Gogel, and Sam Gasser, who were named regional qualifiers for the STARTedUP entrepreneurial challenge, and Keegan LaRoche for earning the Amy Hasbrook Family Leadership Award.
The board also congratulated Holland Elementary Second Grade Teacher Gwen Sermersheim for her upcoming retirement after 22 years with the corporation.
