Port Jefferson Students Unite In Leadership Program

Pictured: Earl L. Vandermeulen High School International Club members with advisers Kristin Britt (left) and Jennifer Walling (third from right).

Photo courtesy of the Port Jefferson School District

Members of the Earl L. Vandermeulen High School International Club, led by Kristin Britt and Jennifer Walling, along with students from Gina Fedler’s class visited the elementary school to read to the students and work with them to complete a story related craft.

The Leadership Club is partnering with the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy in a program that empowers high school students to put leadership principles into practice through student-led community service projects that culminate in a year-end impact project.

The high school students took turns reading stories about kindness, strength, sharing and more and engaged the younger students with follow-up questions. The younger students – kindergartners, first graders and second graders, were thoughtful and eager with their responses. The students worked together on a holiday ornament that was added to a paper kindness tree at the school. Each elementary student was then gifted with a packet that included an inspirational message and a book, part of the service project—the 1 Million Book Giveaway, in which 500 books were distributed to students at the elementary school. They also each received a pendant with the words “Never, Never Give Up.”