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Boston Trip
Description:
During the second
semester of the 2002-2003 school year, I planned and implemented a school trip
to
The planning of this trip brought every leadership skill I have into practice, and honed and fine tuned them. I had to be a critical thinker, as any good leader should be (Brookfield, What it Means to Think Critically, Wren chapter 49). I researched opportunities in the Boston area, gathered information about costs, availability, scheduling, feasibility, etc., of attractions, accommodations, and transportation. I created budgets and sent them for approval to the directors of AE21 as well as to other teachers involved in the planning. I communicated (Sashkin, Visionary Leadership, Wren chapter 52; Harari, 39-42) with the AE21 office, with various vendors, with other staff, and asked for feedback on various ideas as they were in the formative stage. Then, I compiled all the information, looked at it from every angle (finances, timing, logistics, interest level, etc.), and made decisions (Harrison, The Decision-Making Process, Wren chapter 53; Vroom, Decision Making and the Leadership Process, Wren chapter 54). I was an optimist throughout every stage of the trip (Harari, 221; Goleman) and I believe I exhibited several of Goleman's EI competencies: adaptability (as things went awry during the trip, I had to be adaptable in order to accommodate changes in schedules, meals, transportation, etc.); service (during our trip we completed a service project for the camp where we stayed); initiative (planning the whole trip). The implementation of all of these leadership culminated in a terrific experience in Boston for 80 people in May of 2003.
Kendall J. Coopwood May 5, 2004 To Whom It May Concern: My name is Kendall Coopwood and I am an 11th grader in the AE21 (Adventist Education for the 21st Century) program. I have had the esteemed pleasure to observe Mrs. Bacon over a period of three years. As a sophomore, I was one of Mrs. Bacon’s Humanities class students and still look to her for guidance in many of my educational endeavors. Our program’s annual spring trip allowed me to view Mrs. Bacon in a different light. To my knowledge, she was in charge of all or the majority of the tasks (sights, lodging, food, etc.). Even with such a great responsibility, Mrs. Bacon was on top of everything. Her organizational skills shined through. She kept the teachers, students, and facilitators abreast of her status. She had schedules of worships and each day’s activities ready months before the trip. Every party involved knew exactly what to expect and there were no questions. Planning is important, but the follow-through of what’s been planned
is just as important. Because of the many people involved, you would expect
confusion. But, Mrs. Bacon had obviously prepared herself for these times,
and had Plan B’s and C’s in reserve. Overall, everything went
smoothly in very large part to Mrs. Bacon’s exceptional organization,
preparation, and management. Sincerely, Kendall Coopwood |
Pictures:
Here are some great pictures of a few of the places we went ("Duck," JFK Museum, US Constitution), the bus ride between all the places, and just hanging out with FRIENDS!
