Friday, May 17, 2024
The Granbury Independent School District recognized 21 graduates from its LEAP Academy program during a regularly scheduled school board meeting April 22.
LEAP Academy or LEAP (Leadership Experiences to our Aspiring Professionals) is a program designed to develop leadership capacity in selected GISD leaders by providing quality learning and coaching experiences in a collaborative and supportive environment with a focus on individual and organizational growth, according to the GISD website.
“These are our instructional specialists, teachers, assistant principals or district personnel who want to give up their own time so that they can experience some deeper dives into what district level and campus level leadership looks like,” GISD Assistant Superintendent Tammy Clark said during the meeting. “We provide them with quality learning and coaching experiences with a focus on individual and organizational growth.”
The program consists of one two-hour session per month for a total of eight meetings. To graduate from the program, participants must have regularly attended at least six of the eight meetings and participated in a half-day leadership shadowing activity.
"We hope that they gain more depth of knowledge in both campus and district leadership through eight different sessions,” Clark said. “These (graduates have) attended at least six meetings, dedicating their time and energy to their own professional growth and learning more about GISD.”
Session topics in the program can include everything from campus budget management and campus climate/team building to strategic planning and A-F Accountability in the Texas Academic Performance Reports.
“We're grateful for the leaders of our district who presented or hosted their colleagues to show the details about their everyday activities and duties,” Clark said. “Our GISD leaders take a team approach to learning, growing and improving our practices together for students and families, so please help me honor the following professionals for LEAP Academy for 2023-24."
The 2023-24 LEAP Academy graduates include: Leah Archer, Tiffany Biggs, Jennifer Bloodworth, Haley Briggs, Meredith Brummer, Andrew Dunn, Kelly Eppler, Tiphanie Ferrer, Karin Garcia, Lawna Greene, Liz Howard, Tanna Luckie, Jairo Martinez, Lauren McNeal, Mallory Myers, Tanya Patterson, Meredith Payne, Julie Sellers, Jason Shahan, Stephanie Slimak and Michelle Winters.
“This is our largest cohort that we've had since we started the LEAP Academy, probably about six years ago,” GISD Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Glenn said. “When we talk about growing our own administrators in the district, it starts right here with the dedication and hard work of these individuals. They put in a lot of hours, they did a lot of research, and as Mrs. Clark said, they spend time shadowing administrators in the district because they have a deep desire to help grow within our district. It's definitely something we take seriously and as you look across our district, it is littered with administrators who started right here at the LEAP Academy, so we're proud of each and every one of these individuals and the work that they put in this year to make this accomplishment possible.”
To be eligible for the LEAP Academy, applicants must have:
The next class of LEAP Academy will meet monthly for eight months, beginning in September and culminating in April 2025. Academy participants will be recognized by the GISD board of trustees at its regular meeting in April or May 2025.
All applicants for next year’s LEAP Academy must turn in applications by Friday, Aug. 30.
For more information about the LEAP Academy, visit the Granbury ISD website at granburyisd.org online.
