Branson’s student leaders convened in August for the inaugural Student Leadership Institute. Over the course of a two-day retreat, members of student senate as well as affinity and ally group leaders connected with one another, learned about positive leadership and began constructing plans for the school year.

The goal, said Whitney Livermore, the dean of student life and one of the retreat’s organizers, was “to build community among those students and have them think about their own leadership styles and skills and what they can contribute.”

The seniors were invited to a Friday overnight before the Saturday retreat. At the overnight, seniors made their own food and did team-building activities, but for the most part just took the time to relax and connect with one another.

“The senior part was very flexible. It just let us relax around each other so the next day we were like, ‘We’re the seniors, we’re having a lot of fun, and we’re ready to bring the energy,’” said Imogen Brown, a student body co-president.

The next day, Branson leaders from all grades gathered to orient themselves for the school year ahead.

“We thought if we brought all of them together to get the same message, they would feel more ownership about their school community,” said JuanCarlos Arauz, the director of diversity, equity and inclusion and the other faculty organizer alongside Livermore.

Arauz said there were two main components to the itinerary: first, to make tactical plans for the school year for student government and affinity groups and, second, to pinpoint the kind of community student leaders wanted to foster. 

Brown thought that the retreat was a launchpad for a school year of “energy, vibrance and attendance.” She was glad to “have everybody in the same room agreeing that boredom isn’t cool.”

“I feel like Branson has gone through a path the last couple of years of people thinking it’s lame to go to games, or it’s lame to show up,” she said, “and it was great for everybody to be in one place being like, ‘No! This is the year that we’re actually gonna turn things around.’”

During the retreat, students were organized into groups to brainstorm ideas for affinity leadership, which were then proposed to Head of School Chris Mazzola at the end of the day. 

“They all had such great ideas and things to say,” Livermore reflected. “It was just really powerful that they were all so thoughtful about taking their leadership role seriously and really wanting to make an impact on the school before they graduate.”

Livermore believes the impact of the time students spent planning is already manifesting. She pointed to the Women’s Leadership affinity, whose idea for a new buddy program this year originated from the leadership institute.

She added, “It really helps if you already have your ideas before classes start, because once classes start, you are very busy, so it’s good to have those.”

Brown said she is already seeing the retreat’s success boost the energy and productivity of senate meetings. “Senate meetings are a lot more lively than they were last year,” she said. “I can’t really get people to stop talking, whereas before, people wouldn’t talk.”

Arauz said part of the goal for the leadership institute was to equip Branson’s student leaders to face any challenges that may arise during the school year.

“I think every community, every school year, is going to have moments where there is a challenge,” he said. “I’m hoping that these leadership opportunity trainings that we do in the summer give students the skills to navigate those challenging moments.”

And Arauz believes the importance of the Student Leadership Institute will only become more apparent in the coming years, as we face the challenge of maintaining Branson’s close-knit feel with a larger student body.

“When everyone talks about how great Branson is, it’s having that culture that Branson has where people get to know each other and respect each other,” he said. “As we get bigger, it gets harder to do that. We want the student leaders, the seniors, to be part of helping cocreate that beloved community.”

Livermore and Arauz said the leadership retreat received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students and they intend to host another next summer.

Brown said its success led her to believe that Branson should have more retreats in general. “A lot of the affinity groups were saying, ‘We want a retreat. Like, this was amazing,’” she said. “It just really bonds people, and I think with our budget it’s definitely possible.”

Arauz described one of the team-building activities from the retreat, which was inspired by Squid Game, but with a twist: rather than the winner of the competition being the last player standing, the winner was the one who worked best with others.

“That for me is the message of that game,” said Arauz, “that when there’s a lot of chaos, it’s not about you winning at the end of the day; it’s about all of us coming together. That’s what wins.”