In Bowling Green, we know the value of The Leader In Me. We have seen firsthand how our students have grown into young leaders and our schools have grown into effective learning centers. When we tell our story, it’s often unbelievable. Those who have not experienced the effect of The Leader In Me sometimes don’t truly comprehend the paradigm shift that happens when children are given the tools to be leaders, and we take great pride in being able to share our success with the world! 

Last week, we had a wonderful opportunity to share The Leader In Me with some very important leaders. On June 16, Congressman Brett Guthrie and Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers were in town to tour our great community and learn about all the exciting things going on here.

While they got to see many impressive things throughout their tour, one highlight of the day came during their lunch at the Western Kentucky University Augenstein Alumni Center.

At that lunch, state Sen. Mike Wilson, chairman of the Interim Joint Committee on Education, introduced two young students who serve as outstanding ambassadors for The Leader In Me. Emilee Grimes, who will be a seventh-grader at Moss Middle School in the fall, spoke eloquently about how the Covey 7 Habits have helped her be more organized and more responsible, even in her personal life. Emilee shared with the attendees that the 7 Habits have not only helped her with school work, but have taught her discipline with her health as well.

Jannah Bolin, now a ninth-grader at Greenwood High School, has been a great spokesperson for The Leader In Me locally for several years now. Her original Leader In Me song written when she was an elementary school student has received more than 475,000 hits on YouTube. Since then, she has continued to write and perform throughout our region. 

Both students appeared poised and confident as they spoke to a room full of business and community leaders – a feat even for most grownups.

“We’re so proud to be able to share our successes with The Leader In Me program with our statewide leadership,” Sen. Wilson said. “The Leader In Me initiative has truly shifted the direction of our schools and made an enormous difference in the lives of our students. We hope others can take what we have learned and run with it.” 

Bowling Green and Warren County have served as state and national leaders in leadership education.

Not only are Bowling Green and Warren County the first in the nation to commit to a comprehensive program, K-12, we are also the first community in the state to have not one, but two schools that have achieved Lighthouse status.

Without efforts from our local officials, school districts and business community, initiatives like The Leader In Me might never happen. The cooperation we have seen for The Leader In Me initiative is, in and of itself, an exceptional show of leadership and strategic planning. We applaud our leaders and our business community for making The Leader In Me possible, and the children, parents and teachers for making it a reality.

We sincerely hope that by sharing our experience, other communities can take our lessons and design a campaign of their own.

When the Senate president and congressman asked to see the very best of what’s going on in southcentral Kentucky, it was an easy decision to feature The Leader In Me. The results speak for themselves. 

We certainly hope that through this visit, we passed on one of the great treasures of southcentral Kentucky, and hope that children across the state are able to benefit from similar The Leader In Me initiatives.