Leader in Me

Leader in Me Journey 

 

Heritage Elementary is a K-5 school within Pueblo School District 60, located in Pueblo, Colorado. We proudly serve approximately 250 students with a dedicated team of 35 staff members.

Our Leader in Me journey began in the 2020-2021 school year, during the height of the pandemic. This transformative initiative was introduced by an educator who had previously witnessed its positive impact at another school within our district. Since then, we have collaborated closely with our sister school, Sunset Park Elementary, which has been an invaluable accountability partner in implementing Leader in Me.

Over the years, Leader in Me has become an integral part of our school culture, shaping both our students and staff. What began as a shared vision among our educators has evolved into a deeply embedded philosophy that fosters leadership, responsibility, and personal growth within our school community.

We take great pride in the positive transformation Leader in Me has brought to our school, district, and broader community. Our students leave Heritage Elementary as confident, capable leaders, and we are honored to see them representing our values beyond the classroom.

In May 2025, Heritage Elementary became certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by Franklin Covey Education. Heritage is the second Lighthouse school in Pueblo, Colorado, and 1 of 11 Lighthouse schools in the State of Colorado. This recognition serves as proof of Heritage Elementary producing outstanding results in school and student outcomes by implementing the Leader in Me process with fidelity and excellence. The certification also demonstrates the extraordinary impact the school is having on staff, students, parents, and the greater community.

Leader in Me is an evidence-based PK-12 model, developed in partnership with educators, designed to build perseverance and leadership in students, create a high-trust culture, and help improve academic achievement. This model equips students, educators, and families with the leadership and life skills needed to thrive, adapt, and contribute to a dynamic world.

With Leader in Me, students learn to become self-aware, interdependent, take initiative, plan, set and track goals, complete homework, prioritize their time, be considerate of others, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, find creative solutions, value differences, live a balanced life, and contribute to society.

Lighthouse Certification is a highly regarded standard set by Franklin Covey Education that is attainable by every Leader in Me school. As it is a significant benchmark, applying for this certification typically occurs three to five years after a school begins the Leader in Me process.

We, as a staff, engage in ongoing learning and develop as leaders, while championing leadership for the school. Leadership principles are effectively taught to all students through direct lessons, integrated approaches, and staff modeling. Students can think critically about and apply leadership principles. Families and the school partner together in learning about the 7 Habits and leadership principles through effective communication and mutual respect. The school community can see leadership in the physical environment, hear leadership through a common language, and feel leadership through a culture of caring, relationships, and affirmation. Leadership is shared with students through a variety of leadership roles, and student voice leads to innovations within the school.  Schoolwide, classroom, family, and community leadership events provide authentic environments to celebrate leadership, build culture, and allow students to practice leadership skills. The school utilizes the 4DX® process to identify and track progress toward Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) for the school, classroom, and staff. Students lead their own learning with the skills to assess their needs, set appropriate goals, and carry out action plans. They track progress toward goals in Leadership Notebooks and share these notebooks with adults in student-led conferences. Teacher planning and reflection, trusting relationships, and student-led learning combine to create environments for highly engaged learning.

Heritage Elementary will maintain its Lighthouse Certification for two years and will continue to foster its growth and proficiency in exemplifying a leadership culture and principles. At the end of the two years, the school will recertify its Lighthouse Certification through a virtual self-assessment, describing and celebrating its growth and accomplishments since its original Lighthouse designation.

For more information on the model that has been implemented in thousands of schools in more than 55 countries, visit www.leaderinme.org.