Schools in the Western Athletic Conference, including Great Bend, have each chosen four students for the WAC Leadership Team. The Great Bend team, Ian Premer, Hayden Kelly, Mackenzie Lindberg and Reese Bullard, spoke at Wednesday’s school board meeting. They were joined by GBHS Activities Director Matt Westerhaus.

Other schools in the WAC are Dodge City, Liberal, Garden City and Hays.

Premer said the full group has met twice at Dodge City. At the first meeting, their facilitator, motivational speaker Joe Coles, talked to them about making a good first impression with active listening, making eye contact and positive body language. “I thought that was really good,” he said, adding that wasn’t something he’d been taught in a classroom.

“Then we talked about what being an uncommon leader is. ... Locking in was a big part, and then not being afraid to do things that others won’t, because that’s what a leader really has to do.

Lindberg said the second meeting focused on values and how they relate to goals. “We did an activity where we listed all of our values and picked our top three.”

Premer said there are two meetings still to come. After each meeting, the students talk about what will be their “take-homes.”

“I think mine was, if you find your ‘why,’ then your ‘what’ becomes clear. Where you spend your time is what your values are.

Kelly said the importance of first impressions was also one of his biggest take-aways. “They can say a lot – like body language. You don’t want to meet somebody that’s all slouched over. Eye contact is a huge one, and even some of the words that you speak.

Bullard said her favorite take-away from Cole’s talk was about “finding your gift.” “Everyone has a gift; once you find yours and you live it, everything goes from there. You can’t live in someone else’s gift and wake up happy every day.”

The students said they have looked for ways to actively improve their school.