What is Leadership High School?

Leadership High School (LHS) is a leadership development, college awareness, and community engagement program that prepares high school sophomores and juniors in the LSCS System (LSCS) service area to become the next generation of community leaders. Through leadership development, career exploration, and direct engagement with LSCS and community partners, students gain the knowledge, confidence, and connections needed to navigate their educational and professional futures.

LHS is for students seeking the confidence, skills, problem-solving abilities, and connections essential to realizing their leadership potential. Monthly interactive sessions provide a platform for participants to explore best leadership practices, engage in dialogue with community leaders, participate in peer-to-peer learning, and gain personal leadership skills. It offers high school sophomores and juniors the opportunity to become better informed of the critical issues affecting the community where they live and work. The goal of the program is to prepare area youth for responsible citizenship while they develop crucial leadership skills.

This is a community-based program, sponsored by Lone Star College, and offered at no cost to student participants. All program sessions are held at a Lone Star College campus and student participants are responsible for their transportation to and from the session location.

Selected students will be placed in one of the four following cohorts based on the school district where their public high school is located. 

Participants are challenged during interactive monthly sessions to examine their own leadership actions and aspirations and to learn first-hand the leadership stories and practices of key decision makers within the region. LHS is built around five leadership principles. Together they form a simple, memorable path: know yourself, picture what is possible, improve what is not working, lift others up, and keep everyone going. Students experience the principles in this order across the program year, with one principle at the center of each monthly session. The program also provides students with an opportunity to gain an appreciation for giving back through the completion of a community service project. 

Program Outcomes: 

• Understand leadership as influence, the ability to shape attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors toward a shared purpose, rather than a title or position.
• Identify their personal values and communication style (Orange, Gold, Blue, or Green) and explain how both shape the way they lead and make decisions.
• Lead by example by aligning their actions with their stated values and recognizing that credibility and trust are the foundation of leadership.
• Imagine and communicate a shared vision in a way that helps others, across different communication styles, see themselves in it.
• Challenge the status quo responsibly, turning ideas into action and treating mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures.
• Build trust and empower others to act by sharing responsibility, encouraging quieter voices, and strengthening teammates rather than controlling the work.
• Motivate and sustain a team through genuine, personalized recognition, adapting how they encourage others to fit each person’s style.
• Develop lasting relationships with peers across grade levels and backgrounds.
• Apply program learning to a real contribution to a club, team, classroom, or community effort.
• Demonstrate increased awareness of educational pathways available through LSCS.
• Identify at least three career fields aligned with their interests and strengths.
• Develop confidence in communicating with college faculty, staff, and community leaders.
• Describe how leadership skills translate to academic, career, and community success.
• Create a personal leadership commitment that extends beyond the program year.

Program Schedule:

Orientation — Saturday, October 17, 2026
Retreat (Camp Allen) — Saturday, October 24, 2026
Lead by Example Session — Saturday, November 14, 2026
Paint the Future Session — Saturday, December 5, 2026
Spark Change Session — Saturday, January 16, 2027
Empower the Team Session — Saturday, February 13, 2027
Lift Others Up Session — Saturday, March 6, 2027
Closing Session and Certificate Ceremony — Saturday, April 10, 2027

Application Deadline:

Applications open in early July. Eligible applicants include sophomore and junior students attending a public high school within the LSCS in-district service area. Two students from each high school will be selected. All applications and recommendation letters must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 17.