Middle Schoolers Learn To Lead Through Kindness At Central Regional

BERKELEY, NJ — Central Regional Middle School students recently learned ways they can make a positive difference in their community through a special leadership program.

Peer Leaders and Josten’s Renaissance Club members attended the Dec. 10 program in the media center, where about 50 students literally created a web of compliments as they threw a skein of yarn around a circle and gave each student who caught the skein a compliment, according to a district news release. These ranged from “I love your smile” to “I really like your new haircut.”

School officials say that the goal is to create a more positive environment in the middle school with the peer leaders and Renaissance Club members leading the way, offering compliments to other students to make their days a bit brighter. Besides the peer leaders, members of the District’s Josten’s Renaissance Club who work to guide the district’s climate and culture initiatives participated in the program.

“The compliments show how we are all connected,” said Dr. Frank Rudnesky, who offers a special leadership training through his program Fired Up Leadership to middle school student leaders each month. “I want each of you to give five compliments a day to make this a friendlier school. You will make a positive difference.

“If you change one person’s trajectory in a positive way, you can change the world,” he added.

Rudnesky also shared a slide show to students explaining the five domains of Fired Up Student Leadership.

They are:

• Self-management/Organization
• Communication/Listening
• Critical thinking, problem solving and team building
• Character/Service
• Passion

At the end of the program, the students participated in a team building, candy cane relay race.

They kicked off the day of the training by arriving early at school to welcome students as they disembarked from their school buses. The peer leaders and Renaissance Club members greeted students, holding up posters with positive messages outside the school entrance.

Peer Leader Jovie Paster, a seventh grade student, said she learned that "a little thing can make a big difference."

“Complimenting someone can make their day better,” said Serenity Deverane, an eighth grader and member of the District’s Josten’s Renaissance Club after attending the training.

“I learned that doing a small thing can impact someone greatly,” added Paige Grant, an eighth grader and member of the Renaissance Club.

The inspirational program is part of Superintendent Michelle CarneyRay-Yoder's mission to improve health and wellness in the school district. Central Regional High School students in the Josten's Renaissance program also assist and help run the program.

Student leadership is a top priority and is part of the superintendent’s mission, she said. “Through our work with Josten’s Renaissance and Dr. Rudnesky, we can better support our student leaders, providing them with important training to help create a more supportive and positive environment for all of our students.”

CRMS Principal Joe Firetto praised the leadership training program, saying it will improve the atmosphere in the middle school.