by Hanna Singh
The student council members of A.E. Phillips Laboratory School took an exciting field trip this week to the office of Mayor Ronny Walker, where they spent the day learning about leadership from the people that lead the city of Ruston.
The student council, all aspiring future leaders themselves, were given the opportunity to sit in on a leadership meeting with Walker and a team of city officials including the police chief, fire chief and other prominent community leaders. For about an hour and a half, they watched the group discuss key city operations and upcoming projects.
The visit was part of an effort by the A.E. Phillips student council to connect with leaders throughout Lincoln Parish, organized by co-sponsors Lori Kelly and Lorin Pipes. Several times a year, the group hears from local community and state leaders, getting to understand the secrets of leadership from those who know best. Principal of A.E. Phillips, Jenny Blalock, highlighted the importance of the students connecting with prominent local leaders.
“We desire for our students to grow into leaders in their community,” Blalock said. “A vision of Mrs. Kelly’s is to connect our students with as many leaders in our community and state as possible in order to learn from them.”
Following the meeting, the students participated in a 30-minute Q&A session with Mayor Walker, where they were given the opportunity to ask any questions they wanted. They were eager to hear from the mayor about exciting new developments happening in Ruston. President of the student council, Nolan Hogan, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity.
“Visiting the office of mayor walker was an eye-opening experience. We learned about the past, present, and future of our growing city,” Hogan said. “There are many details that occur behind the scenes from leaders in different areas. Mayor walker was very kind and made sure to answer all of our questions thoroughly. He inspired us to follow our dreams.”
Walker took the time to explain to the students the responsibilities that come with being mayor, detailing how a typical day in the life of the city leader goes. At the end of their interview, each student received a pin from Walker to take home as a souvenir. Walker shared about his experience in being interviewed by the student group.
“We had an incredible meeting,” Walker said. “The students had an opportunity to meet with our leadership group. They saw how the city actually functions through the leadership meeting, and then they had about another 30 minutes of Q&A with me where they just got to ask any questions they had. They asked some incredible questions, and I had just had a great time getting to meet with them.”
Through observing the mayor and city leaders, the student council group gained a better understanding of how local government works and how leaders serve their community. The trip served as a valuable lesson in the secrets of how to be a successful leader and inspired the students to pursue their dreams of becoming the next generation of community leaders.
A.E. Phillips Laboratory School Student Council members include 8th graders, Nolan Hogan, Caleb Barber, Emerson Caraway, Ava Good, Cooper Lee, Makaylan Walker, Preston Whitman, and 7th graders, Cate Davison, Jude Falting, Savannah Foster, Ella Morse, John Henry Nugent, and Hannah Walker.
