At a community breakfast held at Sonny Carter Elementary School, where Bibb County school children demonstrated the “Seven Habits” based on Steven Covey’s bestselling The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the Business Education Partnership and Bibb County School District announced an ambitious fundraising campaign that will implement The Leader in Me program in every Bibb County elementary and middle school.

Blake Sullivan, co-chair of the Business Education Partnership, said it will take $2.1 million to implement The Leader in Me across the district and create a sustainable program model for students, teachers and school administrators.

“We can provide the best schools with world-class technology and caring and dedicated teachers, but if our children don’t come to school prepared and willing to learn, then the whole education system fails,” he said.

According to The Leader in Me website, the program is based on best-in-class content and concepts practiced by education thought-leaders. Guided by Steven Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Leader in Me is a whole-child, paradigm-shifting process that teaches enduring values and principles that students can use throughout their lives – in and outside the classroom – preparing them for post-graduate education and beyond.

During the 2015-2016 school year, the Business Education Partnership raised funds to implement the process in two elementary schools, Sonny Carter and Burdell-Hunt Magnet. After seeing the results – a positive impact on not only the students, but also teachers and parents – the partnership raised funds to help implement the program in two more schools, Hartley and Bernd Elementary Schools, this year.

“I am very excited about the progress that is being made in implementing The Leader in Me,” said Superintendent Dr. Curtis L. Jones, Jr. “We’ve seen the two schools that began the process last year continue to grow and develop, and the two schools that started this year are meeting their milestones and doing well. I’m very thankful to the community for working with us and supporting us so we may be able to expand the program to more schools beginning next year.”

The newly launched Bibb County campaign, “We Need the Leader in Me,” is now accepting donations and community support through its website MacontheLeaderinMe.com, which will include regular updates on its progress.