Leader in Me is a social-emotional learning framework implemented at Highland to ensure education of the whole child. It inspires students to lead their own learning and improve their academic achievements while providing a supportive school environment for each child to thrive. 

Based on Covey’s 8 Habits, students are empowered with life skills that promote establishing meaningful relationships, resilience, and taking ownership of their learning, words, and actions. 

Highland began our Leader in Me journey in 2015. In 2022, Highland Elementary School was awarded Lighthouse Status by Franklin Covey’s The Leader in Me Program. This highly esteemed recognition is earned by schools that are considered exemplary in implementation of teaching leadership, promoting a leadership environment, and aligning academics for success of the whole child. 

In 2022, we were one of 610 schools in the world (and one of ten in Tennessee) to reach Lighthouse status. Schools maintain this status for 2 years, and then must be reevaluated to ensure continued success. During the 23-24 school year, Highland was awarded Lighthouse recertification.