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Local
student leaders hosted by OΔK
By Kimberly A. Wallmeier
'06
Omicron Delta Kappa is a national leadership society
whose members excel in their academic, athletic and social organizations. On
Feb. 5, Villanova’s chapter of ΟΔΚ welcomed 60 area high school students
from 12 schools for a conference
 on
leadership. The attendees were chosen by their principals and guidance
counselors for their excellence in leadership areas outlined in the ΟΔΚ
mission. Dr. Robert Stokes, assistant vice president of Academic Affairs,
who oversees Villanova’s chapter of ΟΔΚ along with Dr. James Trainer,
director of Planning and Assessment, commented that “principals viewed this
as an excellent way to recognize leaders and provide them with a valuable
opportunity to interact with leaders from other schools.”
The conference offered attendees a chance to learn
about time management, communication, teamwork and planning meetings. Each
session was coordinated by ΟΔΚ members Julie Boyden, Catherine Lee, Jonathon
Greenwald and Justin Knabb, respectively. Additional ΟΔΚ members acted as
conference tour guides, actively participating in the small group sessions
along with the high school students.
The conference was structured to respond to the
attendees’ current challenges with leadership and to prepare them for future
experiences in their academic and professional
 careers.
Most representative of this structure was the session on planning meetings.
At this session, one attendee was designated the meeting director and the
others were given roles of hyperbolized personalities often found in
meetings. The given task was to plan a high school prom, but the real
message was how to deal with challenging personalities in everyday life.
Overall, the day proved insightful for everyone
involved. “Today opened my eyes to many things that go wrong when
communicating to peers as a leader and how to combat them,” one student
commented. The attendees represented all high school grade levels and were
leaders in student government, athletics, arts, academics and social
committees. Some of the attending schools included Carver Engineering &
Science High School, Philadelphia; Gwynedd Mercy Academy, Gwynedd Valley;
Bishop McDevitt High School, Wyncote; and John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls'
High School, Philadelphia.
Jonathon
Greenwald, a junior accounting major, organized the conference events. “I
had a great time running a conference for high school kids. I can remember
going to a leadership conference in high school and it was run by adults. It
was influential, but hearing these points from college students has a deeper
impact. I think we had that deep impact.” |
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