Amy Williams, left, and Lauren Harrison presented the “World Showcase” session at the Leader in Me Symposium. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – Amy Williams and Lauren Harrison were among the presenters at the Leader in Me Symposium at Athens State University on Feb. 7.

More than 600 educators from 10 southeastern states attended the conference. Area schools are implementing the Leader in Me program.

“Leader in Me is a whole-school transformation model that acts like a computer’s operating system. It improves performance of all other programs,” Williams said.

Based on “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey, Leader in Me “produces transformational results, like higher academics, fewer discipline problems and increased engagement among teachers and parents,” Williams said. The program strengthens students’ self-confidence and skills to thrive in the 21st-century economy.

At Horizon Elementary School, Harrison teaches fifth-grade science, while Williams teaches sixth-grade reading and language arts.

Horizon is a Leader in Me school, so Williams submitted a presentation proposal. She and Harrison led the “World Showcase” breakout session about Horizon’s annual International Night, a time to celebrate different cultures.

“Why not share about the success we’ve had with International Night?” Williams said. “We wanted to share how easy it is to implement the ‘seven habits'” into a school-wide event.

Horizon’s International Night is a venue to celebrate student diversity as students, parents and residents assemble to support learning in a fun and relaxing educational environment. “It also gave us the opportunity to put Horizon, and the great things we do, on the map,” she said.

In a Leader in Me school, “the culture is changed as students, staff and families take on a leadership attitude. As students practice the seven habits in their daily lives at school and home, this positive attitude spreads,” Williams said.

Leader in Me has proven to lead to successful students, schools and communities, she said. “Positive behavior spreads while problematic behavior decreases. At Horizon, we hope to fully implement the seven habits and Leader-in-Me culture into full gear over the next few months,” she said.

For more information, visit leaderinme.org.