Leading others with peace and kindness

My experience as a fifth-grade leader is amazing! I feel so grown up! I would listen to the past fifth graders, what they had to say, and I always looked up to them, saying to myself, “Wow, that will be me in the future.” Unfortunately, COVID-19 tried to ruin everything. There are still more opportunities to be a leader, although it might look a little different this year.?

A leader means to me that you are brave, lead others to peace and kindness, and set an example to younger kids, which is what I am doing right now. I am doing that by greeting people in the halls, and asking at the end of the day, “How was your day at school?” I also tell the younger grades to wear their masks correctly so they are safe. I say, “I’m sorry, but that is how it has to go,” because I don’t want to be a boss, I want to be a leader. Being a leader is special to me because you don’t command people around but change their lives to guide them to success. I will love and respect my schoolmates and school faculty, which will make me a better leader because people will look up to me and they will say, “Wow, one day I’m going to be like him.”

Mrs. (Kelly) Sloan (the school principal) gives me courage to be a leader and guide people because for the past five years going on six, I have watched Mrs. Sloan take care of business and be a great leader. The teachers have exhibited how to respect others and be a good listener. They also taught me if you mess up it’s not the end of the world. Both Mrs. Sloan and the teachers display how I can be a role model to others around me.?
It is very important to be a leader in a Catholic school so I can guide others to love God. Going to a Catholic school, especially St. Madeleine Sophie School, means a lot to me because I can learn about God and how Jesus gave up his life for others. Jesus had disciples that followed him, and if Jesus did something, they would learn to do it also. I can be like Jesus by helping others and spreading kindness around the Catholic school community.

I’ve been preparing to be a leader since Pre-K, and Mrs. Sloan and the teachers have provided me with the intelligence to succeed in leadership. Going to St. Madeleine Sophie School makes me a better leader because I am taught to love God and follow Jesus just as the disciples did. I’m looking forward to all the opportunities to teach my schoolmates ways they can lead others.

Alessio Civitella is a fifth-grade student at St. Madeleine Sophie School and a member of the parish.