A group of 12 local business professionals and a team of middle-schoolers walk into a room and sit down for breakfast together. What might sound like the beginning of an old-school joke is actually the set-up for a successful Leadership Breakfast at Strongsville City School District that seeks to connect students with the local business community.
“It’s a good opportunity for our students to see and connect with different adults that they might not normally have a chance to interact with,” says Dan Foust, communications coordinator for the district. “It’s a great way to see various skills and see how important those skills are when they eventually graduate.”
Beforehand, the students get to pick their top three options with whom they would like to speak. At the event, they rotate tables to make sure students talk to as many of their choices as possible.
“We bring in a great variety of people to show students that there are a lot of opportunities out there,” Foust says. “It’s just a matter of them finding their passion and turning their passion into a career.”
Though the Leadership Breakfast started only two years ago, it has grown into a popular event that complements various other initiatives that prepare students for life after high school. From a speaker series that matches student strengths with potential careers to a career exploration program that ushers a group of juniors and seniors through coursework and internship opportunities, the Strongsville City School District is very intentional with getting students to think about their futures.
“It’s so important for students to see and hear how there are so many different pathways and ways for them to think about their future,” Foust says.
These programs also work to highlight the concept of the Model Mustang, or five skills that the school district develops in its students from preschool to 12th grade: innovative, resilient, collaborative, global and empowered.
“We want students to understand and see that they aren’t going to stop developing these skills once they graduate,” Foust says. “I think the more we involve our business community and the stronger we continue to build these connections helps us as a district.”
