President Obama and Leadership

President Barack Obama will have a unique place in American history forever because in 2008 he was elected the first African American president. He’s also the first president to be from Hawaii. Barack Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. During World War II, Barack’s grandfather served in the army in Europe and his grandmother worked at assembling bomber airplanes in the United States. After the war the family moved to Hawaii and Barack’s mother was a student at the University of Hawaii. There she met Barack’s father, a student from the country of Kenya in Africa. His father returned to Kenya and Barack saw him only one more time in 1971. Barack was raised by a single mother and his grandparents.

Barack’s mother then married a man from Indonesia and Barack lived for a time in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather. When Barack was 10 his mother decided he needed an American education and sent him to live with his grandparents in Hawaii. During his teen years, Barack struggled about deciding where he fit in society because he was bi-racial with a black father and a white mother. When Barack finished high school he attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. Not satisfied, Barack took advantage of a college transfer program and moved to Columbia University in New York City. He received a degree in political science in 1983.

A short while after graduation, Barack moved to Chicago and took a job as a community organizer in a poor neighborhood of Chicago. By forming committees and groups of people, he helped residents of the housing projects to improve their lives. Barack decided to attend Harvard Law School in 1988. He graduated with honors in 1991. He returned to Chicago to work as a lawyer and handled civil rights law cases. He married Michelle Robinson in October, 1992 and they have two daughters.

In 1996 Barack was elected to be a state senator in Illinois. In 2000, Barack ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in Illinois and lost. In 2004, he ran for the U.S. Senate in Illinois and won 70% of the vote, a huge victory. Barack was only the third African American elected to the U.S. Senate since the slaves were freed after the Civil War.

In February, 2007 Barack announced that he was running for president and was seeking the Democratic nomination. Hillary Clinton was already seeking the Democratic nomination and most people thought that she would win the primary. No one thought Barack had a chance to win the nomination. After nearly 2 years of campaigning, Barack first became the Democratic nominee in the race for the presidency and then went on to win the presidential election of 2008.

President Obama has many qualities of a good leader. What are some leadership qualities you see in President Obama? Are there any leadership qualities you see in yourself? Tell us about them! We want to hear what you have to say, feel free to leave a comment!

Blog #2

A New Year, a New Beginning

Happy New Year! Now is the time we all set those New Year’s Resolutions. Last month we talked about setting S.M.A.R.T. goals, remember? Well, I hope you have set yourself a goal, and with the marking of the New Year it’s only smart that we set those goals into motion. If you haven’t thought of a goal to set for the New Year, here is a list of the top New Year’s Resolution for Teens according to www.newyearfestival.com.

New Year's Resolutions for Teens
I will eat at least one fruit and one vegetable every day, and I will limit the amount of soda I drink.
I will take care of my health through physical activity and nutrition.
I will resist peer pressure to try cigarettes, drugs and alcohol.
I will wipe negative "self talk" (i.e. "I can't do it" or "I'm so dumb") out of my vocabulary.
I will choose non-violent television shows and video games, and I will spend only one to two hours each day - at the most - on these activities.
I will be nice to my parents, teachers and elders and show respect to them.
I will help out in my community - through volunteering, working with community groups or by joining a group that helps people in need.
When I feel angry or stressed out, I will take a break and find constructive ways to deal with the stress, such as exercising, reading, writing in a journal or discussing my problem with a parent or friend.
When faced with a difficult decision, I will talk with an adult about my choices.

In other news, The Leadership School at Kieve has exciting news to share! We are just about to reveal the brand new climbing facility! We just built a 35 foot rock climbing wall, with many high and low elements all in one building! If you’re in the area, check it out! Good luck on those resolutions!
The Leadership School Staff

Kieve Wave's New Blog!

Kieve Wave

Hello to all of you Leadership School grads! Just wanted to check in and let you know we have not forgotten you. As you may already know, The Leadership Decisions Institute now has a new name; The Leadership School. We thought that it better signifies what we really do here…well that is, other than having fun.

How is everyone doing on their goals? We have a new group here now who is just starting to learn about the process of goal setting, think of how far you have come. You could probably teach them all a thing or two.

I wanted to give you all a quote that I found that I think can be used to keep you inspired to keep checking in with yourselves on your goals. It goes back to the first step in goal setting, and that is setting a SMART goal. (For those of you who may have forgotten, S=Specific, M=Measureable, A=Achievable, R=Realistic, and T=Timely). Here it is:
“I feel that the most important step in any major accomplishment is setting a specific goal. This enables you to keep your mind focused on your goal and off the many obstacles that will arise when you’re striving to do your best.”
-Kurt Thomas

Remember when setting those goals make them specific so that you can make a road map of how you are going to get there. We all know that as freshmen in high school you have a lot of obstacles and distractions that can cloud your vision. Write your goal down or make a collage of pictures that represent your goal and put it where you can see it every day…maybe in your locker, to remind you of where you are headed.

So, on another note, we have some new buildings at The Leadership School that were not here when you visited. The students here now are living in luxury and loving it. Stop in and visit if you are in the neighborhood. We also have this new blog, so be sure to stop by here to check it out and keep updated with us at the Leadership School!

Take Care,
The Leadership School Staff