In 2019, the Sidwell Athletics Department introduced the Janssen Leadership Academy to its students. The licensed Janssen curriculum, which is taught at over 250 colleges across the United States, is made up of 12 modules that are split across two yearlong courses: Emerging Leaders and Veteran Leaders.
The goal of the Janssen program, which is offered to Sidwell students in grades 10–12, is to equip student-athletes with leadership skills that can be used both on and off the athletic field. The Emerging Leaders course focuses on leading by example through commitment, confidence, composure and character while the Veteran Leaders’ modules center around leading teammates.
While the two existing programs served their purposes well, Athletic Director Michael Square and Head Baseball/Golf Coach Jon Mormino, who facilitated the Emerging Leaders, felt that they were missing an opportunity to expand on the leadership techniques by lacking a course for ninth graders.
“There were some 10th graders that weren’t quite ready for the [Janssen] program who might’ve been if we had used their 9th grade year more productively,” Mormino said.
Thus, at the start of the 2023–24 school year, the Athletics Department launched a new level of the Leadership Academy: Foundational Leaders. Unlike the two Janssen programs, Foundational Leaders became open to all high school students and offers an introductory leadership course that can be used as a stepping stone to the Janssen curriculum.
Veteran Leader Henry Clark, who took part in the Foundational Leadership program as a freshman in its inaugural year, said that Foundational Leaders gave him an important base to his leadership skill set by giving him “a sense of empowerment and newly gained confidence in my abilities.”
Additionally, a key part of Sidwell’s Leadership Academy is the incorporation of two to three guest speakers into the Janssen curriculum each year. These guest speakers range from Sidwell alumni to nonprofit leaders in the local community and even included Olympic gold medalist Thea LaFond-Gadson last year.
Mormino cites the aspect of guest speakers’ leadership expertise as the main reason why they are so essential to Sidwell’s Leadership Academy.
“Guest speakers are reviewed by students as being one of the most impactful parts of their years in the Leadership Academy in large part due to their exceptional expertise and experience,” Mormino added.
As a whole, Sidwell’s Leadership Academy has given students an opportunity to grow as leaders on their respective teams and in their communities in a unique way. For example, Clark feels that what he has learned in Veteran Leaders so far this year has already had a massive impact on many facets of his life.
“Leadership Academy has been instrumental in teaching me about conflict resolution and ways to navigate and overcome tough situations on the field and throughout life,” said Clark.
Additionally, both Mormino and Veteran Leader Sachin Kundra cited the Leadership Academy as a rare space where student-athletes can learn about what is going on within other athletic teams and learn more about student-athletes who do not play on their teams.
Nevertheless, Sidwell’s leadership curriculum is still growing. Last year, Middle School students started to experience Sidwell’s leadership program through weekly leadership training where they begin to learn principles of character and leadership as part of the overall Middle School Athletics health and wellness program.
