Two Oxford High School sophomores will have the chance to interact with nearly 300 peers at the MYLead Conference, which will be held at Michigan State University in May.
Sophomores Zachary Throne, of Metamora, and Mark Hazelwood, of Oxford, will get the chance to get a day off of school and travel to East Lansing for the three-day leadership conference. It will include motivational speakers, panel discussions, debates, team-building exercises and personal goal-setting, all in an effort to help students become better leaders in both their school and community.
Students attending the conference will benefit by having their leadership skills enhanced and critical thinking developed through creative problem solving and positive peer interaction.
The selection process began when Counselor Beth Worton sent out an email to the entire OHS staff asking who the top leaders in the sophomore class were.
After hearing back it became abundantly clear that Throne and Hazelwood were highly regarded among the staff.
She had the students write essays in response to the question ‘What does being a leader mean to them??
Throne said in his essay that ‘A good leader is able to make decisions and to be brutally honest in the midst of rough times, even when he realizes that he might upset some people. He is also someone who understands and knows the limits of those he leads, and he is willing to take the blame for his group’s mistakes.?
In Hazelwood’s essay, he stated that leadership meant a lot to him and that he was honored to be selected. ‘By learning to become a leader at the conference, I think that I can become better in and out of the classroom. In today’s society, he have too many followers, so I strive to be a leader so I can be one of the few,? he wrote in his essay.
The school will be able to send both students due to the contributions from the Oxford Lions Club, who paid for one of the students to go, with MYLead paying for the other.
If either Throne or Hazelwood are unable to attend the conference, Kala Seawright, of Oxford, will attend as an alternate.
She wrote in her essay that a leader has to be an example, mentor and model when leading a group.
‘All of these contribute to leadership in some way, shape, or form. They have to be the person to guide the others, answer all questions, and help solve problems while others are trying to accomplish a task,? wrote Seawright.