Seniors Attend JAG Leadership Event
JAG, which stands for Jobs for America’s Graduates, is a new career program Leigh has come by in the last few years, with students in grades 7-12 participating. It is not only a class they may take, but also an organization. On Thursday September 25, 2025 the officer team and JAG teacher Mr. Hathaway traveled to the JAG Leadership Development Conference. The officer team includes seniors Lexis Gleason, Jocelyn Donelly, and George Waterman.
JAG teacher Mr. Hathaway stated, “LDC stands for Leadership Development Conference. It is an annual event hosted by JAG NE. They invite the officers from all JAG programs across the state to come and gain skills and knowledge on several leadership topics.
This year we also got the privilege to hear from the Mayor of Omaha, John W. Ewing. He talked about his journey through the police department and his dedication to civic service to the people of Omaha and surrounding areas. We also got to hear from one of the national JAG officers who is from Tennessee. She spoke about how every voice matters, and we all play an important part, no matter how small or big. The rest of the day was dedicated to several sessions on different leadership topics.
Leigh's 3 officers, Gleason, Donnelly, and Waterman, attended even though they technically didn't have to since school was canceled for the football playoff game. All three made the choice to come anyway and learn about being effective leaders. I'm very proud of their decision, as it shows they have great leadership qualities already! While there they made new friends and connections in their sessions and at the lunch table. It was a great day!”
Senior Lexis Gleason commented “George, Jocelyn, and I represented Leigh in Omaha at the JAG leadership conference. We participated in a variety of activities ranging from learning about AI to interacting with our peers. Overall, we all had a great time, and we are excited for what is to come in the future.” At this conference many skills were learned. Being part of JAG teaches you many skills you need in the future: communication, time management, public speaking, problem solving, and many more. This is a very good program to be a part of even if you only are in it one or a few years in high school. You will still get to learn a lot and make many memories.”