Kathryn Winn Primary School has earned Legacy status as a Leader in Me school, becoming the only kindergarten-first grade school in the world to achieve this distinction. The recognition highlights the school’s strong focus on developing leadership skills in even its youngest students.
The exciting announcement was made during the school’s monthly student-led Leader in Me assembly by Principal Donna Monroe, where students and staff gathered to celebrate the moment together. Special video congratulations from Leader in Me Coach Amy Cordrey and program co-creator Muriel Summers made the recognition even more meaningful for the young leaders in the room.
Summers and Jan McCartan visited Kathryn Winn last month as part of the Legacy review process. Kathryn Winn students demonstrated firsthand what it means to take ownership, show initiative, and lead with purpose.
“I am so excited and so proud of you,” Summers said in her video announcement. Cordrey echoed that sentiment, calling it her “absolute honor” to notify Winn it has achieved Legacy status.
Principal Monroe praised both students and staff, emphasizing the school’s commitment to empowering even its youngest learners. “Thank you families for trusting us with your students and allowing us to give them opportunities to be leaders,” she said.
At Kathryn Winn, leadership isn’t just taught, it’s lived every day. Students as young as 5 and 6 years old are learning to develop ideas, set goals, and confidently share their voices with others. Those skills are already making a lasting impact.
“I am so proud to have been allowed to play a small part in this very big achievement and to see our littles shine daily is a blessing,” said Winn’s Leader in Me Coordinator Brandy Castle. “I am also very excited that now the world will get to see what even the smallest child can do when given the opportunity, love, grace and encouragement they need to lead.”
“This is how even the littlest leaders can Empower Integrity and Engage Community,” Carroll County Schools Superintendent Casey Jaynes said. “To have this starting point for all of our students helps to make us a destination district and begin to provide a workforce for the future for our region.” He also praised Monroe and the entire Kathryn Winn staff for their dedication to developing student leaders.
The Leader in Me program, rooted in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and developed in partnership with Franklin Covey, focuses on building leadership and life skills in students.
“Legacy status in Leader in Me is more than a title, it’s a story of who we’ve become,” said Jacy Hofmann, assistant Leader in Me coordinator. “Being part of this journey has been incredibly meaningful to me, and I’m so proud of the culture we’ve built together, one where every student is seen, valued, and empowered to lead.”
Cydney Conley, the school’s original Leader in Me coordinator, reflected on the program’s beginnings and growth over time. “This journey reflects our core belief that every student and staff member possesses unique strengths to be celebrated. I cannot imagine where we would be today if we had chosen to stop,” Conley said. “Congratulations to Donna Monroe and Kathryn Winn Primary for establishing such a meaningful legacy.”
An official award ceremony will be scheduled in May. Stay tuned for an opportunity to celebrate this incredible milestone.
(More photos on the District and Kathryn Winn Facebook pages.)