We believe leadership requires practice, so we encourage students to embrace various leadership responsibilities that expand their confidence and aim to serve our local and global communities. We recognize the jobs of the future demand more advanced cognitive skills like critical thinking and problem solving as well as more refined social-emotional expertise, including exceptional communication abilities, empathy, and flexibility.
We recognize adolescents don’t become leaders by taking a leadership course or earning a leadership certificate. They lead by doing. Similar to solving a geometric proof or composing a thesis statement, students learn how to lead through repetition. During the span of years that students are at York School, they encounter a series of opportunities to test their leadership skills inside and outside the classroom, by way of student council, clubs, arts programs, athletic teams, TEDxYorkSchool, and service learning philanthropy projects. Students strengthen their teamwork, public speaking, and planning capabilities in order to become more astute leaders. Whether they are on-stage at TEDxYorkSchool sharing their ideas with a worldwide audience, arranging and managing Fall Fair, or building interactive exhibits for a local children’s museum, our students are developing vital leadership abilities.