Bethel Cadets Honor2Lead

By Cadet Bryan Bornn

Honor2Lead

On Friday, September 25th, eleven Bethel Navy JROTC cadets represented Bethel High School in the first annual Honor2Lead seminar. The students went to the Western Connecticut State University Ancell School of Business and viewed the seminar through a webcast; the seminar was broadcast from the University of North Georgia. Bethel cadets were privileged to attend the seminar which came about through the collaboration of Bethel Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christine Carver and the WCSU Ancell Business School Coordinator, Captain Kathleen Lindenmayer, USNR (Ret).

The theme of the seminar was to demonstrate how leadership and citizenship traits which are commonplace in the military and industry can be helpful in all paths students may choose. Throughout the seminar the guest speakers gave presentations and talked about concepts and values of leadership and associated ethics. All of the guest speakers had expertise in the area of leadership, and many had some type of military background. Speakers included a Lieutenant General, a Major General, a Senior Vice President, company founders, a Harvard business professor, and best selling author Dr. John C. Maxwell who is considered the World’s number one leadership expert.

Recurring themes in each of the presentations included that leaders should have integrity, honesty, commitment, and personal honor. Each presenter discussed those values in their own way, giving varied points of view on the foundations and ideals of leadership. Dr. John C. Maxwell, specifically discussed some very important points. He stated that leadership is not developed in a day, but is a never ending process of growth. He also talked about living a life of significance, not only a life of success. He further explained that success is about what we achieve for ourselves; while significance, which is more important, is about our effect on others.

Everything that was brought up in the seminar gave insight into the idea of leadership and citizenship that the JROTC cadets plan to bring back to the unit and the school. The cadets plan to continue their new relationship with WCSU by hosting the follow-on webinars at Bethel High School and including many of their fellow upperclassmen. It was demonstrated through the seminar that it truly is an Honor2Lead. Bethel Senior Naval Science Instructor, Lt. Commander Mark Dwinells USN (Ret), attended the seminar with the cadets and asked all the attendees to think about the unique opportunity they had by asking “imagine if all students could learn the concept of living a life of significance, not simply striving for personal success”. That message resonates well with the cadets and students at Bethel High School.

More information on the program is available at: https://honor2lead.com/