At Garfield Elementary, students aren’t just attending school—they’re helping run it. From greeting classmates to producing announcement videos and organizing kindness projects, students are taking on school-wide jobs that turn leadership lessons into daily action.
The school-wide jobs are part of the Leader in Me initiative that is taking place across USD 379. Led by school counselor Sarah Cott, Garfield’s approach gives students opportunities to practice responsibility, teamwork, and service while helping their school operate.
Cott said the effort began about four years ago with a smaller rollout that included junior custodians. It has since expanded to include more teams and student managers who help organize the work and support their peers.
“We talk a lot about when you are a leader or a manager, it’s actually a lot of serving people,” Cott said. “It’s not telling them what to do.”
Students can apply for six types of jobs: morning greeters, junior custodians, heavy lifters, kindness crew, school announcement team, and communications team. Duties range from welcoming students and helping clean the building to delivering food, recognizing kindness, promoting events, and assisting with assemblies.
The application process adds another layer of learning. Students rank their preferred jobs, explain why they would be a good fit, and provide an adult reference. Fifth graders seeking manager positions complete an additional application section, and Cott interviews prospective managers and checks references.
Students commit for a semester, with opportunities to change jobs afterward. Cott connects the experience to Leader in Me habits such as being proactive, thinking win-win, and putting first things first. Students must complete schoolwork before job responsibilities and be in good standing.
For kindness team manager Avery Chaffee, the program offers a chance to encourage classmates and turn ideas into action. One example is a kindness marble challenge that the group organized.
“Every class will get a marble jar, and their goal is to earn marbles when they show kindness to others as a class. The first class to reach 15 would receive recognition,” Chaffee said.
Communications manager Daok Pyle helps keep the school community connected. Working with fellow managers and principal Rachael Roberts, Pyle helps update displays showing Leader in Me goals and shares information about school activities.
“We make videos that they play in class, and we also send them out on ParentSquare,” Pyle said.
Those videos help communicate upcoming events and give students experience creating messages for both classmates and families. Pyle applied for the position and completed a one-on-one interview with Cott.
For Cott, the strongest results come when students take initiative. She described students developing their own scripts, organizing announcements, and stepping into classroom presentations that she would otherwise handle herself.
Whether students are sweeping a hallway or planning a kindness project, the jobs give them a way to lead.
As Cott explained, “Leadership is a lot of helping other people be successful.”