Student Leadership Small Group
North Lawndale College Prep seeks to build a united identity and strong
cohesion in each of its graduating classes. The class of 2016, current sophomores,
does not have strong class cohesion and individual students are not performing to
the expectations of NLCP in regards to attendance, on-time arrival, and behavior.
The counselors and teachers of the sophomore class recognize that a vocal minority
of challenging students is overpowering the silent minority of well-behaved
students. The student leadership group will seek to equip student leaders with the
skills to positively impact their peers and effectively manage conflict when
appropriate. The goals of the student leadership group are:
 To increase student intervention in peer conflicts and disruptive classroom
behavior by providing students with appropriate leadership and conflict
resolution skills.
 To facilitate the creation of a student led project for continuing leadership.
Description of Group:
 Sophomore counselor will be the group facilitator
 6-8 members, representative of the demographic make-up of NLCP
 Closed Group
 Students will be recruited through counselor and teacher recommendations
and students can sign up to be interviewed to participate in the group.
 6 sessions including a pre-group meeting and follow-up meeting
Plan for Evaluation:
 Process data: 5% of the sophomore class (6-8 students) participated in the
Student Leadership Groups.
 Perception data: The Leadership Traits questionnaire was completed before
and after the group and indicated an increase in leadership skills as selfreported by students and observed by staff. Anecdotal reports from teachers
described increased peer intervention in classroom and hallway disruption.
 Outcome data: The number of write-ups decreased by 20%. Specifically, the
number of sophomore incidences (i.e. fights and arguments) has decreased
because students intervene before teachers or staff become involved and
complete a formal write-up.
 Follow-Up: Students will meet six weeks after the termination of the group to
check in and discuss progress toward personal and group goals for
implementing leadership.
Small Group Session Plan
School Counselor: Brea Adams
Date: April 15th
Activity: Student Leadership Group Pre-Group Meeting
Materials:
Group Agreement
Parent Consent Form
Conceptualizing Leadership Questionnaire
Leadership Traits Questionnaire
Procedure:
Students selected to participate in the student leadership group will attend a pregroup meeting with the counselor to cover the goals and purposes of the group,
expectations for participation in the group, schedule of group meetings, the group
agreement, and the confidentiality agreement. The counselor will also introduce
students to the Leadership Traits Questionnaire as well as the Conceptualizing
Leadership Questionnaire and give instructions for students to complete both
assessments before group one. The counselor will establish a deadline (March 17th)
for students to turn in parent consent forms and their completed leadership
assessments to ensure that students are prepared for participation and discussion
during group one. Finally, the group members will approve a name for the group
(suggestions include Destination Leadership, Leader in Me, Model the Way but
students can also suggest another group name).
Small Group Session Plan
School Counselor: Brea Adams
Date: April 22nd
Activity: Student Leadership Group 1
Grade(s):10th Grade
ASCA Student Standards (Domain/Standard/Competencies):
 PS:A1.1 Develop positive attitudes toward self as a unique and worthy
person
 PS:A1.2 Identify values, attitudes and beliefs
 PS:A2.1 Recognize that everyone has rights and responsibilities
 PS:C1.4 Demonstrate the ability to set boundaries, rights and personal
privacy
Group Objective(s):
Group 1 will focus on conceptualizing an ideal learning community and the rights
and responsibilities of students to create and promote such a community. Students
will discuss how to advocate for themselves and their classmates when speaking
with disruptive peers.
Materials:
Post-It Easel Pad and marker
Leadership Style Questionnaire
Conceptualizing Leadership Questionnaire
Procedure:
Icebreaker Activity: Two Truths and a Lie- students will write down two truths and
a lie about themselves and read the three statements to the group. The group
members will try and guess which statements are true and which statement is false.
This activity allows students to get to know some basic information about their
group members.
This group will begin with a brainstorming activity in which everyone shares two
ideas of what an ideal classroom would look like. One student will act as the
transcriber and will record ideas on the Post-It pad. After all students have shared,
they will compare the school culture at NLCP to the ideal community. Students will
identify challenges or obstacles in creating the ideal classroom at NLCP without
blaming or naming other individuals.
Students will then have the opportunity to share their thoughts on the
Conceptualizing Leadership and Leadership Traits questionnaire. Based on what
they learned about themselves and their group members students will discuss how
they can use their leadership skills to build the ideal classroom at NLCP.
The first session will close with quick check-out asking students how they felt about
the group. Homework for group two is to complete the Conflict Style Questionnaire.
Small Group Session Plan
School Counselor: Brea Adams
Date: April 29th
Activity: Student Leadership Group 2
Grade(s): 10th Grade
ASCA Student Standards (Domain/Standard/Competencies):
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PS:B1.8 Know when peer pressure is influencing a decision
PS:B1.6 Know how to apply conflict resolution skills
PS:B1.3 Identify alternative solutions to a problem
PS:B1.4 Develop effective coping skills for dealing with problems
PS:A2.6 Use effective communications skills
PS:C1.10 Learn techniques for managing stress and conflict
Group Objective(s):
Group 2 will explore common problems between peers and between students and
teachers at NLCP. Students will learn about different conflict styles and discuss
strategies for intervening in and resolving confrontational situations at school.
Materials:
Conflict Styles Questionnaire
Post-It Easel Pad and Marker
Procedure:
Ice Breaker Activity: Students will untangle the human knot. Follow-up discussion
will address communication styles and different ways to solve the same problem.
The group will begin with a discussion of common conflicts at NLCP or with
sophomore students outside of school. The transcriber will record responses on the
Post-It pad. Examples might include: verbal confrontation between students,
teacher/student confrontation over disruptive behavior, cyberbullying via social
media. Students will then discuss ways that they and their classmates often
respond to the situations listed and the effectiveness of those responses. The
counselor will then provide students with examples of appropriate actions that
could be taken in each situation. For example, the counselor could discuss the role
of social media in escalating conflict and explain appropriate use of social media.
Students will then discuss the Conflict Styles Questionnaire and share personal
reflections. The counselor will help students connect the conflict styles with
previously discussed situations, and students will discuss how different conflict
styles impact how people engage in confrontations.
Students will also discuss the barriers that exist when it comes to seeking adult help.
There is no homework for group 3. Homework for group 4 is to complete the Core
Values Questionnaire.
Small Group Session Plan
School Counselor: Brea Adams
Date: May 6th
Activity: Student Leadership Group 3
Grade(s): 10th Grade
ASCA Student Standards (Domain/Standard/Competencies):
 PS:C1.6 Identify resource people in the school and community, and know
how to seek their help
 PS:C1.5 Differentiate between situations requiring peer support and
situations requiring adult professional help
 PS:B1.5 Demonstrate when, where and how to seek help for solving
problems and making decisions
Learning Objective(s):
Group 3 will focus on identifying adult allies and appropriate times for reaching out
for adult support.
Materials:
Post-It Easel Pad and marker
Procedure:
Ice Breaker Activity: Students will be asked to line themselves up oldest to youngest
without talking. Follow up discussion asks what strategies students used to
communicate.
The counselor will begin the group three by asking students to discuss their
thoughts and understanding of snitching versus seeking adult help. To start this
discussion, the counselor will give an example situation and ask the group to classify
it as snitching or seeking adult help. There is no right answer for these situations, as
the discussion should focus on student perceptions.
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You know that a student will be jumped after school and inform the
counselor.
You tell the teacher that a student cheated on an assignment.
You tell a friend’s parent that your friend has been cutting him/herself.
You tell the counselor when you see someone writing graffiti in the
bathroom.
You get the security guard to break up a physical fight between two students.
For those situations that the students identify as snitching, the counselor will ask
students to offer suggestions on how to resolve the situation without being a snitch.
(For example, instead of snitching on someone for writing on the bathroom wall, the
student could initiate a project to buff all graffiti from the wall. The student is still
taking a stand against vandalism of the school community but does not have to
single out a peer for discipline). Students will discuss other barriers that exist when
it comes to seeking adult help during the activity.
After the activity, students will discuss situations that require adult support, such as
gang violence or anything else involving physical violence. Following this discussion,
the counselor will give the group a brief overview of the counseling and support
services offered at NLCP. Students will make a list of at least five staff members they
believe are safe to approach when they need adult help and the transcriber will
record the suggestions.
Small Group Session Plan
School Counselor: Brea Adams
Date: May 13th
Activity: Student Leadership Group 4
Grade(s): 10th Grade
ASCA Student Standards (Domain/Standard/Competencies):
 PS:B1.12 Develop an action plan to set and achieve realistic goals
Learning Objective(s):
Group 4 will focus on reflecting on the skills that have been acquired throughout the
group process and setting goals for application of skills.
Materials:
Post-It Easel and marker
Core Values Questionnaire
SMART Goal Worksheet
Procedure:
Ice Breaker Activity: Students will stand in a circle and attempt the “Tree Pose”
without the help of other students at first. Then, students will touch hands and
again attempt the “Tree Pose.” The second attempt should provide more stability
and will be a tangible demonstration of how we are stronger and more stable when
we stand together.
Students will share responses from the Core Values Questionnaire and will come to
a consensus about the top three values for the sophomore class for the rest of the
year. The transcriber will record the values. Students will then discuss ideas for
continuing leadership and creating accountability after termination of the group.
Based on the discussion, students will set one personal SMART goal for leadership
and will agree on one SMART goal to carry out as a group (suggestions could be
creating a student advisory committee for organizing class events). The transcriber
will record the group’s goals and the counselor will keep a copy of the individual
smart goals. Students will share their individual goals with the group.
The group will close with a compliment circle, with each group member sharing one
strength of the person to their right. The counselor will celebrate the group’s
progress and thank students for their participation and leadership.