8th Grade Leadership Program off to a Great Start

The future is bright for 22 Hancock County eighth graders who have been chosen to participate in the Hancock Youth Leadership Academy. The class is comprised of students from all four middle schools in the county (Bay/Waveland Middle, Hancock Middle, Our Lady Academy, and St. Stanislaus College).
“We are really excited to offer this program for the fifth consecutive year! These students have not yet had the opportunities to discover their own leadership potential. The program is designed to help these students recognize their capability, and the necessity of being successful and independent,” said Rhonda Rhodes, President of the Hancock Resource Center.

The students will participate in four workshops in the next few months, a service project, overnight retreat, and a May graduation ceremony. The first session, sponsored by Hancock Resource Center board member Henry Winters, was held on January 20th at the Leo Seal Community Center.  The students participated in several activities which helped them learn more about each other and the different characteristics of being a good leader.

 “They are full of curiosity, creativity and intelligence. They are fun, engaged and a pleasure to work with. We hope that with the right encouragement and educational experiences such as the HYLA, these students will become the future pillars in our community,” Rhodes said.

The Hancock Youth Leadership Academy is the only county-wide youth leadership program for Hancock County, and is a program of The Hancock Resource Center.  At this time, local community sponsorships are needed.  Please consider sponsoring a session or making a general donation to support the ongoing operation of the Hancock Youth Leadership Academy.  Invest in Hancock County’s future by cultivating its next generation of leaders: visit www.hancockhrc.org or call 228-463-8887 to learn how.

Pictured from left to right:
Front row:  Kyle Capo (St. Stanislaus), Samantha Broussard (OLA), Rose Khadaroo (B/W Middle), Landon Ladner (Hancock Middle), Emily Perniciaro (OLA), Hayden Matheson (OLA), Parker Quandt (St. Stanislaus), Caroline Schafer (OLA), Isabella Clogher (OLA), Olivia Dosda (Hancock Middle), Sidney Henry (B/W Middle), and Riley Welsh (Hancock Middle)
Back row:  Tommy Gilbert (Hancock Middle), Macie Firchau (Hancock Middle), Sebastian Fausett (Hancock Middle), Alexa Hardie (Hancock Middle), Drew West (St. Stanislaus), Brooke Rogers (OLA), Sophia Compretta (OLA), Easton Logan (St. Stanislaus), Joshua Cothen (B/W Middle), and Amelia Haynes (B/W Middle).

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