Traditionally, summer breaks include fun in the sun, summer jobs, adventures with friends and the occasional luxury of staying up all night and sleeping all day. For 20 of West Bend High School Band’s student leadership team, they have the privilege of adding the WBHS Band’s Student Leadership Summit to their summer agendas this year.

Lead by WBHS band directors Leah Duckert-Kroll and Corey Murphy, this annual, two-day summit provides drum majors and section leaders in the WBHS bands the opportunity to explore what it means to be a servant leader, a philosophy modernized by Robert Greenleaf and a quality that can often be an underdeveloped character trait, yet is so imperative to a successful future in any career path.  The servant leadership philosophy means that in order to lead, you must first be willing to serve others. One must have a genuine desire to help, and lead in a way that empowers others by making sure that their needs are met.

In this philosophy there is an inherent difference between wanting to be a leader and wanting to help others, a key difference that Ms. Duckert-Kroll is very passionate about. “Our band’s motto is Excellence with Pride. Effective leadership and positive influence exhibited by our student leaders creates a ripple effect amongst our band members, which ultimately translates into success at every level.” said Duckert-Kroll. “This summit gives our student leadership team the opportunity to grow as individuals and function as a cohesive unit. I love watching the students challenge themselves and each other, while having fun and creating important memories. It’s rewarding for both Corey and me to watch these leadership transformations take shape.”

During the two-day summit, student participants are taken on an immersive journey through a variety of interactive leadership activities including round-table discussions, team-building exercises (including a custom “Escape Room” experience designed by Mr. Murphy himself!), jigsawing John Maxwell’s “21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership” and exploring lessons on band leadership from the philosophy of Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser.  Additionally, the students participated in exercises using nonverbal communication methods in order to complete a desired task, as well as completed the Communication Response Style assessment, a 20-question survey designed to help identify and understand each of the student's communication styles.

Student participants in this summer’s two-day summit included: