Bovina Elementary School and Bowmar Elementary School have far more in common than both just being elementary schools within the Vicksburg Warren School District.

The two schools were the first to become Leader In Me Schools in 2012 and just three years later made history by becoming the first Leader In Me Lighthouse schools in Mississippi in 2015; a designation they have again had recertified.

In late February, both schools received letters from Sean Covey, president of FranklinCovey Education, who congratulated the schools on their continued performance and successful recertification.

“Your many years in the Leader in Me process has led to tremendous impact for the students, families, staff and community surrounding your school,” Covey said in the letters received by both schools. “We are proud of the legacy you are leaving for the schools in the Mississippi Leader in Me Community and beyond.

“Your recent recertification visit showed continuous growth and improvement within, and beyond, the Leader in Me Framework.”

According to FranklinCovey, when a school is named a Lighthouse School, “it is evidence that schools have produced outstanding results in school and student outcomes, by implementing the process with fidelity and excellence. It is also because of the extraordinary impact that the schools may be having on staff, students, parents and the greater community.”

After a school is certified as a Lighthouse School, it will then recertify virtually in two years. Two years after that, the school must go through an in-person review by FranklinCovey for the next recertification. The most recent recertification for both Bovina and Bowmar was done by an in-person team.

“Leader in Me gives us a principle-based foundation to support strong academic learning and social-emotional growth. When you walk into Bowmar, you can see and feel that we have a leadership culture. It is embedded in our language and our approach to teaching,” Bowmar Elementary Principal Jason Bennett said. “Leader in Me is more than something that we do, it is who we are. I am thankful we have a dedicated staff that has embraced this initiative and has maintained a high standard of leadership over the years.”

Bovina Elementary School Principal Micki McCann said the Leader in Me foundation is foundational to the success of the students.

“The Leader in Me and the recertification process are important because our district’s focus is to ensure that every child receives a high-quality education that prepares them to be college and/or career ready which is what The Leader in Me represents,” McCann said. “Our goal as educators is for students to be successful in life and have the ability and skills they need in order for them to have choices about what they do with their future. The Leader in Me helps us instill in students the essential life skills they need to be successful in school and beyond. The earlier we can teach those essential habits and principles, the more experiences the kids have to practice living the habits; the greater the chances that the habits will become deeply instilled in them for use down the road.

“We want students to be successful in school, but our ultimate goal is for them to be successful in life whatever they may choose.”