LPS part of new Heartland Athletic Conference leadership group

Sportsmanship. Community outreach. Standing up for what is right. Personal and academic responsibility.

Those are just a few of the lessons to be learned this year for Lincoln Public Schools students participating in the newly formed Heartland Athletic Conference (HAC) Student Leadership Cadre. The group consists of students involved in extracurricular activities and athletics from schools in the newly expanded HAC: the six LPS high schools, along with Lincoln Pius X, Kearney, Fremont, Norfolk and Grand Island high schools.

Students, athletics and activities directors, teachers and coaches from these 11 schools participated in the HAC Student Leadership Cadre Retreat at Lincoln North Star High School on July 26.

“The overall goal of the retreat was for student leaders to grow their leadership capacity, build positive and purposeful relationships with one another, as well as work on their networking skills as 21st century leaders,” said JJ Toczek, Southeast High School’s director of athletics and activities.    

Toczek and his counterpart in Grand Island, Cindy Wells, spearheaded efforts to create the new leadership group. It expands on a group that existed before the conference expanded by three teams beginning in the 2018-19 school year.

Those who attended the retreat discussed a variety of topics, most of which will now be monthly areas of focus for each school’s student leadership groups:

September: Sportsmanship and Respecting Officials

October: Proactive Leadership

November: Social Media (Do’s and Don’ts)

December: Social/Community Outreach Projects

January: Fairness, Equity and Standing Up for What is Right

February: GRIT, Determination and Follow-Through

March: Personal and Academic Responsibility

April: Life Lessons-Character-Beliefs-Words and Actions

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