Kailani Serapion, a 10th grade student at Starr’s Mill High School in Fayetteville attended the 2016 National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Student Leadership Summit July 16-20, 2016 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kailani participates in softball and track as well as several other extra- curricular activities at her school. Kailani was selected by a faculty committee to represent the Georgia High School Association at the Summit. The purpose of the Summit was to provide a forum for adult and student leaders from around the country to discuss contemporary issues facing athletic and activity programs. The goal of the conference was to develop leadership skills to enhance communication, relationship building, inclusion, responsible social media engagement and creating the perspective of sustaining these societal values.
All participants attended workshops on related topics, including leadership techniques and sportsmanship. A “train the trainer” concept was central to all sessions. Ideally, students in the Summit will return to their state to begin processes to grow the positive leadership skills discussed there. Conference activities culminated with Summit students being involved through a community relations project with Special Olympics.
Kailani has stated she is particularly interested in the formulation of a “student advisory board” in the coming year. Projects of this nature have been very successful in other state associations. Kailani thanked the Georgia High School Association for giving her the opportunity of this learning experience and looks forward to the continuation of Georgia’s participation in the National Summit.
Kailani is pictured below (center) with GHSA Representative Barbara Phillips and NFHS Executive Director Bob Gardner.
