ETHS launches four-year E-LEAD student leadership academy for rising ninth-graders

Evanston Township High School officials outlined a new four-year Student Leadership Academy, E-LEAD, at the Feb. 10 Board of Education meeting, saying the cohort-based program will guide rising ninth-graders in leadership identity, post–high school planning and greater school engagement.

District leaders said the program will target students in the academic middle, who meet MAP and attendance criteria and show “potential,” and provide a cohorted academic and advisory experience intended to increase belonging and connection to school. The district has launched an application process, completed initial interviews and reported dozens of applicants for its inaugural cohort.

Board President/administrator Marcus Campbell introduced the presenters and said the two agenda items that evening reflected “new systems, new structures, and new approaches” to supporting students. Teresa Collins, identified in the presentation as the district’s director of academic supports, read a mission statement for E-LEAD and described the program as “to cultivate a student leadership program that empowers high school students to develop their unique leadership identities. By fostering self-awareness, purpose, and resilience, we guide students in discovering their potential as impactful leaders who inspire positive change within their communities.”

Collins and district staff said the program is designed as a four-year cohort that blends credits and shared classes: ninth-grade students would travel together for humanities and be cohorted for PE/wellness, and the program’s anchor will be a credit-bearing LEADvisory seminar approved earlier this winter. Collins said the first-year seminar will be titled Introduction to Identity and Leadership and will include identity-development content embedded with leadership work and advisory projects.

Program elements described by presenters include field-based experiential learning, off‑campus retreats and travel opportunities funded in part by a local donor. Collins said the district contracted with Camp Echo for the ninth-grade retreat and that the donor’s gift is intended to underwrite group experiences for students. The district also plans learning treks in upper grades, with examples including a U.S. history trip to Selma, Montgomery and Birmingham and a senior capstone and “leave-taking” experience.

On selection and scale, Collins said the district is focusing outreach on students who fall in the academic middle and who could benefit from expanded access to people and career-pathway programming. The presentation stated the application opened on the 16th and that the team had completed a first round of interviews; Collins said there were 28 applicants “in the pipeline” at the time of the presentation. Board members asked about the application deadline and outreach; Collins said staff had extended outreach to middle schools, parochial and independent feeders and encouraged families to apply.

Board members asked about overlap with AVID and elective scheduling. District staff said LEADvisory is credit-bearing and that, in years one and two, it will replace sections of freshman advisory (FASH/SASH) so students can still take other electives. The district indicated that advisory sections will be intentionally capped to keep lead-advisory groups at or below the typical class cap (presenters referenced a target cap of at or below 25 students per advisory) so advisors can maintain close relationships.

Presenters said their longer-term enrollment target is substantially larger than the inaugural group — they described an ultimate goal of growth (the presentation cited a target of roughly 75 students as an aspirational size), while acknowledging early cohorts often start smaller. Staff said they will learn from the pilot year and iterate the program design in response to what students and faculty report.

Several board members complimented the program’s design and asked that lessons learned be documented and shared across the district where relevant. Collins and Dr. Brown (presentation staff) said the program team includes representatives across academic and student-services departments and that they plan to develop curriculum over the summer, pull together a faculty team for advisory and humanities, and host a family welcome event in March if students accept offers.

The presentation included anonymous quotes from applicants — read aloud by Collins — illustrating applicants’ interest and motivation; for example Collins quoted an applicant who said, “Every person does their own part to make the community better.” Collins also cited a student who wrote, “There’s so many opportunities in high school. How am I supposed to make sense of it all? That’s why we’re here.”

District staff emphasized that E-LEAD will combine academic coursework, advisories and work-based learning options in later grades and that the program’s orientation toward identity, exposure and engagement is designed to help students plan for post‑high school pathways. Staff said final admissions decisions for the first cohort would be made before a planned family welcome event so families could accept offers in time for the spring calendar.

Program materials and a timeline will be posted as the curriculum is finalized and staff said they will report back to the board on enrollment, staffing needs and early outcomes in the coming months.