Steward Leadership Program Application

If you have any questions during the application process, please contact Eliza McGehee at eliza.mcgehee@stewardschool.org.

Essay Prompt #1:

Select ONE of the following historical leaders and complete some research on him/her.

What were the most significant leadership traits he/she demonstrated?

To what extent was this figure a successful leader?

At the bottom of your response, please include citations for any sources that you consulted.

Topic options (Pick ONE):

• Winston Churchill
• Martin Luther King Jr.
• Mohandas Gandhi
• George Washington
• Harriet Tubman
• Susan B. Anthony
• Nelson Mandela

Essay Prompt # 2

Please start by reviewing the link to the Sixteen Habits of Mind. The Habits of Mind, which were developed by The Institute for Habits of Mind, are behaviors that are indicative of efficient, effective problem solvers.
Once you have reviewed the Habits of Mind, please respond to the following scenario in your essay:

You are elected president of your grade, and you work with a team of 4 other class leaders. One of your primary responsibilities as a group is to fundraise and plan a dance for your class each spring. You create a budget and estimate that you need $500 for the dance to hire a DJ and get some refreshments and decorations. You implement multiple fundraisers throughout the fall, and end up with $750 raised. As a group, you must decide what to do with the extra money that you’ve raised. However, there is disagreement among the group members about what to do. Some want to add a photo booth for the dance, while others think it would be fun to have a separate pizza party for the class at the end of the year. Another team member suggests saving the money for the following school year. You call a meeting to discuss what to do with the money, and quickly tempers flare and nothing is accomplished. Later that night, you see hurtful posts on social media from one of your fellow team members about the other students.

You must decide what you should do to try to resolve the situation.

• Which Habits of Mind would be most important for you to effectively lead your team through this problem?
• Why would these behaviors be helpful or effective for you as a leader?

Think both about how to solve the tensions within the group of class leaders AND how to spend the extra money.