HOUSTON (April 30, 2012) – The Community Leadership Institute celebrated graduates of the 2011-2012 Leadership High School program in a ceremony this month in the Star of Texas Ballroom of the Lone Star Community Building in The Woodlands.
Seventy-two high school juniors representing 37 area schools participated in Leadership High School-Montgomery County, Leadership High School-North Houston and Leadership High School-Northwest.
Leadership High School is a leadership development and diversity awareness program for outstanding high school leaders in the Lone Star College System service area. The community-based program, sponsored by Leadership North Houston, Leadership Montgomery County and the LSCS offers high school juniors the opportunity to become better informed of the critical issues affecting their community.
Leadership High School participants take part in seven sessions, all held on Saturdays throughout the academic year: skills retreat, government/criminal justice, arts and culture, health/human services, transportation, community service, and graduation. The program provides a unique opportunity to help prepare area youth for responsible citizenship while they develop crucial leadership skills.
“Bringing juniors from unique backgrounds and showing them different aspects of their community and how they can make a difference is exciting,” said Kay Fitzsimons, director of the Community Leadership Institute for LSCS.
Leadership High School-North Houston began in 1999 as an offshoot of Leadership North Houston. In 2006, Leadership High School-Montgomery County began with the assistance of LSC-Montgomery and Leadership Montgomery County. Leadership High School-Northwest began in the fall of 2011 to meet the growth in the North Houston area and to make the program more accessible to the student participants. There is a combined total of 585 graduates.
Graduates included Lauren Acho, Sophie Alvarez, Kandice Amsden, Brook Anthony, Hunter Attard, Brittany Bailey, Gabrielle Barnett, Hannah Beadle, Aaron Bogart, Breanna Boone, Desmond Burnett, Elizabeth Butler, Kimberly Carlson, Christine Chin, Iqra Dada, Morgan Darby, Drew Dockery, Tamara Esparza, Katherine Espin, Jacob Ferguson, Javier Fernandez, Santiago Forero, Simone Frusina, Kenneth Furches, Ann Gallegos, Sydney Gutierrez, Melissa Guzman, Skylar Haley, Tiara Harris, Jessica Hill, Akevia Hose, Jecory Hoyt, Amy Jenschke, Emily Johnson, Shannon Koch, Alex Kochevar-Cureton, Kruti Malkan, Jazmin Marcias, Justin Markwardt, Katelyn McCants, Georgi McNease, Claire McVey, Danielle Miranda, Tara Monroe, Briana Nguyen, Blessing Nwosu, James O’Brien, Amanda Okoli, Diego Ortiz, Michael Partain, Sunnysuraj Patel, Catherine Paulino, Javier Perea, Nikole, Perez, Cortni Peters, Randi Rhea, Ashlie Roy, Stormi Roy, Lauren Saucier, Derek Smith, Carolina Solis, Joann Sorn, Dakota Stormer, Kathryn Strickland, Juliana Suarez, Jeanette Te, Cristina Tovar, Emily Villarreal, Mark Villegas, Justin Wilkinson, Kameron Williams, and Meagan Wilson.
Applications for 2012-2013 Leadership High School will be available from high school counselors at the beginning of the school year or online at LoneStar.edu/cli. Independent school districts participating in this program are: Aldine, Conroe, Cypress-Fairbanks, Humble, Klein, Magnolia, Montgomery, New Caney, Splendora, Spring, Tomball and Willis. Concordia Lutheran and Rosehill Christian schools also participate.
For more information on Leadership High School, contact Fitzsimons, director of Community Leadership Institute for LSCS, at 832-813-6623 or kay.l.fitzsimons@lonestar.edu.
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