(The author of this article is related to Tabitha Moore.)

At Essex High School, the student captains of each school-sponsored sport have been attending leadership development sessions after school. 

The focus of these meetings is to develop the skills needed to be an effective team captain, covering topics like how to effectively communicate in hard situations, how to promote inclusivity and honesty, and getting prepared to deal with the various challenges they may encounter during their time as a captain. 

Tabitha Moore, district consultant and student leadership program facilitator, says that the skills the students are learning aren’t just used inside the sport, but also will be helpful outside of their sports in real life applications. 

“All of these skills, mindsets, and tools are transferable, which means that they will use them outside of their club, sport, or activity and certainly as they move through life and the world of work. … and selfishly, I want them to be even better at running things than we have been,” Moore said.

The biggest issue the students have been facing is the time of the meetings. The six sessions are spread out over the season, and are held on weekdays at the high school at 7:00 P.M. and last until 8:30 P.M. 

Some students find the time a struggle. EHS senior Chris Morgan, who is captain of the bass fishing team had to miss some of his winter sports practices to attend the meetings.

“I also have hockey practice that I’ve skipped twice, and I’m actually leaving this [session] early today to go to that,” Morgan said. ” The best time to have this would be during an advisory or flex when we’re all in the building anyway.”

 Moore agrees that finding the time to meet is challenging.

“I’ve already talked to Mr. Goodrich about the possibility of a different schedule for future sessions,” Moore said. “Maybe we’ll do a single day-long summit where we work on all of the skill building and teaching  that are part of the six-session curriculum.”

While dealing with the issue of time, the students find the sessions insightful, applying the learnings in their leadership journeys in various ways. For EHS senior Zoe Papaseraphim, captain of the varsity field hockey team, she finds that her confidence in herself as a leader has improved since starting the sessions.

“To have the skills to be a better leader has really improved my confidence in leading my team because now I know that I have the skills, and I’ve had the training to be able to be that leader that my team needs,” Papaseraphim said. 

For EHS junior Jackson Mead, captain of the boys soccer team, he finds that the sessions have helped him communicate in a way that brings attention to his team’s strengths, while still providing helpful feedback to his teammates.

“My style is very blunt and to the point,” Mead said.“I noticed that I was starting to bring the [teams] morale down, so doing this has made it so I go at it with a more upbeat attitude. I point out what players are doing well, and what they’re doing correctly, but also say ‘here’s how you can do that stronger, better.’” 

The EHS student leadership sessions have provided student captains with valuable tools to strengthen both their teams and their ability to be a leader. Despite challenges with time, participants agree that the lessons learned will continue to benefit them beyond their time in high school athletics.