Vickery Creek Elementary School (VCES) is so grateful for the opportunity to partner with Shang Ren Elementary school in Keelung, Taiwan as part of the Leader in Me Global Connect program. As a school principal, I cannot adequately express the gift that Leader in Me has been for our school, students, staff and community! In addition to the obvious commitment to safety and learning, I feel a tremendous responsibility for building a school that nurtures and supports life ready leaders who can excel in a global society. Truly, the Leader in Me process accomplishes just that. Our students are becoming increasingly skilled at the art of self-leadership and using their talents and gifts to improve the community.

Our Connection with Shang Ren School in Taiwan

I truly believe that our partnership with Shang Ren has brought our students another opportunity to Find Their Voice. We started our connection in October 2022 via Google Meet. Students from Shang Ren introduced themselves by making a presentation about Taiwan and their school. When we met two months later, these students also shared how they Sharpen the Saw with Chinese New Year traditions. This was an especially fun connection for the students to learn more about the fun of Chinese New Year.

On February 24, 2023, our VCES students did presentations for Shang Ren students, sharing information about their home country and school. I know the students were excited to do this, and they prepared their presentations with great anticipation.

We’ve also been enjoying our frequent meetings with administrators at Shang Ren as we coordinate and facilitate opportunities for our students to form friendships. From this work, we’ve even started a pen pal program, where 3rd and 4th graders are being paired with students at Shang Ren. Their letters are shared via Google slides.

Our Students Are Growing and Succeeding with Leadership

This connection with students from a vastly different culture has made it possible for our students to discover authentic ties between themselves and the children of Taiwan. It prompted our students to launch a schoolwide campaign of their own creation focused on being more alike than different. Under the leadership of our Student Lighthouse Team (17 fifth graders) this initiative has provided unparalleled opportunities for expanded student leadership roles in the areas of project management, public speaking, marketing, media design, teaching younger students, global zoom call participation, pen pal exchange, and nurturing authentic relationship with other children around the 7 Habits.

Though we started small, with only a few classrooms, all our VCE students are now reaping the benefit from this global connection. Our children are engaged, eager, and excited to learn more. We look forward to the additional fruits from our growing connection with Shang Ren.

Truly, the possibilities are endless! We look forward to continuing our friendship with Shang Ren, and we have plans to add connections with schools in two other countries for our next school year.