Student Leadership Development

Leadership was an important part of Latin's Founders' vision for the school in 1970, and it continues to be a Core Value.

For our students to excel at Latin and in life, it is essential for them to develop and exercise leadership skills and behaviors. As part of the fiber of Charlotte Latin, leadership is taught and practiced throughout our classrooms and in our community. Starting in Lower School with our Leads with Honor program, students have the opportunity to learn and live out their leadership potential at every step of the Latin experience.

Our unifying framework for leadership development is the Portrait of a Latin Leader, which supports our community as it idealizes and discerns a common language for leadership. We encourage all members of our community to explore the Portrait in-depth and see its connection to teaching and learning.

At Latin, we want to ensure that every student has the opportunity to practice the behaviors associated with socially responsible and ethical leadership. Servant leadership is central to our school’s mission and values, and we hope that every student here builds their capacity for leading, regardless of their positional role. Beyond our covered walkways, we aim for our students to positively contribute to the dialogue and to create more flourishing communities of good.

David-Aaron Roth, Director of Student Leadership Development

Lower School

Leads with Honor

Leads with Honor

Leads with Honor is our signature Lower School experiential education program for grades 1 through 5. Students in this program are exposed to aspects of leadership development in age-appropriate ways, such as listening to and collaborating with their peers, respecting their community and space, and protecting their environment.

Throughout the year, students are also provided take-home initiatives to share in the joy of learning leadership with their families outside the classroom. It models the importance of leadership transpiring throughout a student’s daily life inside and outside of school.

The Student Leadership Development program also leads the Lower School’s Capstone experience, where students focus on aspects of environmental stewardship and community gardening to support the whole child as a learner and leader.

Lamm Hawks Quest

Lamm Hawks Quest is Latin’s signature experiential education program for Middle School. Hawks Quest features an on-campus low- and high-challenge course consisting of elements and activities designed to inspire leadership, encourage problem-solving, and enhance a sense of community.

“Challenge by choice” creates an environment where appropriate risk-taking is encouraged to navigate obstacles. Latin students are provided hands-on opportunities in outdoor education, leadership development, and character development. Participants’ age, maturity, and physical abilities are considered in choosing appropriate elements for each group. Participants face increasingly complex challenges, followed by an opportunity to discuss their experiences. Hawks Quest promotes the power of experience combined with intentional and tailored challenge to inspire students of all ages to grow as individuals and as a community.

Leadership Lab Elective

Students in grade 7 can elect to participate in a Leadership Lab as part of their elective coursework, providing them with a year-long opportunity to learn about their particular leadership style while simultaneously practicing elements of leadership necessary for real-world success, such as team development and ethical decision-making. Students are presented with Latin-centered “cases” to discuss and discern, whether in the Middle School or beyond.

Upper School

Student Athletic Leadership Team (SALT)
Senior Leadership Elective

Student Athletic Leadership Team (SALT)

Senior Leadership Elective

A semester elective for seniors, “Leadership for the 21st Century” is an exploratory study of leadership and individual student development and empowerment. Students in this course have the opportunity to investigate their understanding of leadership, examine how they currently engage in leadership, and identify the practices required to navigate leadership today and tomorrow. It leverages local Charlotte “Problems of Practice” to support ongoing conversations about the students' role in shaping and supporting their proximate communities.

McIntosh Leadership Center

Centrally located in the heart of campus, the McIntosh Leadership Center serves as a “hub” for students of all grade levels. It is a destination for students to learn, collaborate, and grow as leaders in our Latin community and in Charlotte. It features a dedicated, collaborative space for the Leadership Development program, a dedicated space for senior lounging, and a student commons area with a cafe for all members of the community to meet and connect.

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