Fay made history by hosting its first-ever Dog Day! But what made it even more remarkable is that it was student-led by three Fifth Grade Leaders, Sarah B., Lily C., and Patrick O. All three students exhibited exceptional leadership in creating, planning, and executing this special day, and as a result, they demonstrated The Fay School's Strategic Plan in action.
Strategic Priority One is to deepen leadership development through emotional intelligence. This event took over one year to plan and began with the students presenting their idea proposal to school leadership. After school leadership provided feedback, the students revised their plan and brought it to life! Throughout the process, each student showed dedication, thoughtfulness, and critical thinking, three skills of emotionally intelligent leaders.
Strategic Priority Four of the Strategic Plan is to create valuable community relationships. The students fulfilled this priority by inviting community businesses like Three Dogs Bakery, which donated boxes of treats, and Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP), which taught event attendees to make pet toys for animals in need.
Schools use terms and phrases like "student agency," "student-centered," "leadership development," and "developing a love of learning." But often, schools can only define what those terms and phrases mean; they struggle to bring them to life. However, that is not the case at The Fay School.