At Academy of Innovation, Students Are Living Leader in Me, Not Just Learning It

At Academy of Innovation, Students Are Living Out Leader in Me, Not Just Learning It

Vicksburg Warren School District

November 12, 2026

At Academy of Innovation, students are moving past learning the Leader in Me habits and putting them to work every day, in their classrooms, in service projects and in how they speak up for themselves.

Jessica Barlow, a seventh grade English teacher, serves as the school’s Lighthouse coordinator. She makes sure every staff member is part of an action team, helps those teams plan, attends the district’s Lighthouse meetings and brings back what she learns for the school to put into practice.

Each action team has its own focus. The PBIS team keeps students engaged with events and a school store that rewards positive behavior. The service learning team works with the school’s Family and Community Outreach team and student council on fundraisers, donation drives for local shelters and gift baskets, with a goal of getting more students involved in serving their community. A student voice team grew out of what students themselves asked for. Many arrive from different elementary schools, still figuring out where they fit, and they wanted to feel more connected to the building and heard by their teachers. “Their biggest thing was they just wanted to be heard,” Barlow said.

Students also keep a digital portfolio that follows them from year to year through 12th grade. It gives them a social media feel while building a presentation of who they are, something they can use when applying for college or a job.

Barlow has taught Leader in Me since her days in elementary school, so she has watched students grow with it. “You see a shift from them learning Leader in Me to them actually implementing it,” she said. “They’re not just learning about it. They’re using it every day.”

She saw it when educators from other districts toured the school and students answered their questions about Leader in Me. “I love that they don’t rehearse it,” Barlow said. “It’s more of their story.” 

For Barlow, what makes the school work is its people. “I love how we are very much a team at AOI. Everybody kind of supports everybody,” she said. “They’re wanting that voice. And I think even as adults, we want to be heard.”