Leadership Academy 2018
In its second year, LT Colonel Samples, Athletic Director James Franklin, and a group of O’Neal coaches set out to build on last year’s successes and bring O’Neal Student-Athlete leaders to the next level. Through guest speakers, coach led activities, and small group discussions, everyone, student-athletes and coaches alike, grew throughout the week-long camp.
Continuing to build from last year’s successes, a mixed group of returning and new student-athletes to the academy, brought great excitement to the halls of the Upper School. The first year, seventeen student-athletes graduated from the Leadership Academy camp. In its second year, twenty-nine student-athletes, graduated the camp and will embark on continuing their growth throughout the year long academy. Returning Leadership Academy member Junior Sarah Massey reflected on the week sharing, “The leadership academy has helped me grow in confidence. Attending for the second time, allowed me to take the lessons learned and internalize them. After year one, I gained skills to become a better leader, and now after having the chance to attend the Leadership Camp again, I am prepared to consistently apply these skills to any situation that happens on the field or in the classroom.”
The Leadership Academy kicks off in the summer with a weeklong camp. Graduates of the camp then become members of the Leadership Academy continuing to hone and build their leadership through various check-ins and activities throughout the school year. “The purpose of the camp is to create opportunities of self-discovery via small group collaboration and large group discussion. Ultimately though, this is much more than a camp. The academy strives to help our student-athlete leaders develop leadership attributes and competencies that are critical for success in everything they do in life,” shared LT Colonel Samples, O’Neal parent and leader of the FALCON Leadership Academy.
The 2018-19 Leadership Academy camp continued to build around the competencies of resilience, confidence, communication, trust, getting results, and emotional intelligence. Each day focused on creating these competencies of leadership in each individual. This year, student-athletes heard from guest speakers including, Army Captain Roye Locklear, Harvard alum and current Rollins College Head Women’s Volleyball coach Mika Robinson, and Army Master Sergeant George Vera. Each speaker captivated students with messages of personal experiences where they applied their resilience, emotional intelligence, and leadership skills. Senior and returning Leadership Academy member Macon McIntyre shared how “Coach Mika Robinson was a tremendous public speaker and connector. I truly enjoyed her presentation as she modeled for us firsthand the keys to leadership: preparation and connection.”
In small group discussions, student-athletes were pushed to reflect and discover themselves as leaders. Coaches served as facilitators for these journeys of self-discovery. As one of the coach facilitators, Kelley Adams shares, “During the week, I witnessed student athletes from each sport come together as one. The commitment and passion our student athletes display not only toward their sport, but to The O’Neal School community is admirable. Everyone came together for the sole purpose of becoming a leader on the field, court, or track, as well as on our campus. Now they are empowered to lead their future!”
The week ended with a graduation ceremony where the student-athletes invited their families, teachers, and coaches. After the student-athletes presented their commitment as a student-athlete leader at O’Neal, all in attendance heard a powerful message of putting others before self from Army Master Sergeant George Vera. His message inspired all in attendance to take the lessons from the week and commit to making the most of each day.
Reflecting on the academy second year, Athletic Director James Franklin shared, “In year one, the Leadership Academy helped unify our teams at O’Neal. It helped develop emotional intelligence and formed a stronger sense of overall pride. After this year’s camp, we are already experiencing acts of stronger togetherness and are very excited for how leadership will rise in our student-athletes and throughout our school.”
As we head into the 2018-19 school year and athletic seasons, our student-athlete leaders are primed and prepared to roam the halls, fill the classrooms, and compete on the field as confident, resilient, and emotionally intelligent young men and women.
Speaker Bios:
Army Captain Roye Locklear- Florida National Guard Capt. Roye Locklear, along with his service in the National Guard, serves as the coach of the All-Army Soccer Team. After years of failed attempts, Captain Locklear was a night away from reporting for his first game as a professional soccer player. In a final workout before his flight, he tore his ACL putting his dream and career in limbo. Captain Locklear has since accomplished numerous feats as the coach of the All- Army Soccer Team. Captain Locklear shared his story of resilience in the face of defeat and setback with student-athletes challenging them to find the positive in every situation and always have a Plan B.
Mika Robinson- Current head women’s volleyball coach at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL, Coach Robinson is a student-athlete alum from Harvard University. Graduating Magna Cum Laude with a degree in psychology from Harvard, while also playing collegiate volleyball, Coach Robinson shared firsthand knowledge of the student-athlete experience. Both as a player and coach, Coach Robinson has employed her desire to pursue excellence in everything she does, allowing her to accomplish tremendous feats. During her eight seasons as head volleyball coach at Berry College in Mount Berry, Georgia, Coach Robinson amassed a career record of 169-88 with three conference championships and a pair of NCAA tournament berths. Challenging our student-athletes to prepare vigorously and connect with everyone they meet, Coach Robinson brought a tremendous message on how to get results as a leader.
Army Master Sergeant George Vera- Master Sergeant George E. Vera, United States Army, was awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy in support of Operation FREEDOM'S SENTINEL in August 2015. On that date, Master Sergeant Vera's base came under attack from a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED) driven by suicide bombers. Master Sergeant Vera exposed himself to the blast as he pulled wounded soldiers away from enemy fire. He was shot during his efforts to secure the perimeter. His gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army. Sergeant Vera spoke at the Leadership Academy graduation and captivated the audience with sharing his powerful story, and giving everyone in attendance a real life example of being a part of something bigger than self.
2018-19 Leadership Academy Graduates
Student Athletes | New/ Returning |
Taylor Edrington | New |
Holly Pashley | New |
Rachel Patton | New |
Haley Sager | Returning |
Molly Kuzma | New |
Madison Salloum | New |
Bella Miller | New |
Ralayah McRae | New |
Macon McIntrye | Returning |
Sarah Massey | Returning |
Kayla Jenkins | New |
Tea Waldt | New |
Morin Samples | New |
Kaleigh O'Leary | New |
Caelan McHarney | New |
Alex Dymond | New |
Bennett Moore | New |
Avi Patel | New |
Ryan Ritter Diosdado | Returning |
Nolan Meese | Returning |
Andy Jenkins | Returning |
Boone Hancock | Returning |
Bryce Samples | Returning |
Stefan Wooley | Returning |
Spencer Sullivan | Returning |
Andrew Lewis | New |
Andrew Phan | New |
Jalen Lindsey | New |
Jack Morrison | New |
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