Fair shows CGA has more leadership positions than most girls schools

Culver Girls Academy sophomore Elsie Turner went to the Leadership Fair thinking she knew what position she wants as a junior. She left reconsidering her options.

“I learned there are a lot more positions than I thought,” she said.

That’s the idea behind the CGA Leadership Fair, to let sophomores and juniors learn about the vast number of leadership positions available at the Indiana boarding school, which has more opportunities than most girls schools. For sophomores looking ahead to next year, those positions range from safety/security prefect, to event coordinator to communication prefect.

Turner went to the fair in Huffington Library thinking she wanted to be the Culver Women’s Celebration prefect because she likes the idea of empowering women. She learned, though, that each of the eight dorms has 15 leadership positions, and there are more campuswide positions.

“They all seem interesting, so I’m still exploring,” she said.

Karen Rudd, CGA assistant dean, said the goal is to expose the students to positions they didn’t know existed and to encourage them to step outside their comfort zones to tackle new challenges.

“There are some students who might think they know the position they want, but they don’t really know what that position is until they talk to the person who is living it,” Rudd said. “They have to think about what positions that best fit their schedules.”

The students move from station to station and ask current leaders about their positions. The leaders use posters to explain their positions, their responsibilities, people they deal with, the time commitment and interesting facts.

The fair was divided into two half-hour segments, with sophomores first learning what positions are available for them and when Juniors arrived, they spent time speaking with Seniors who hold a Chair position.

Students with an idea to make an improvement, whether it is a small change at the dorm level, or a major change at the CGA level, start by making a proposal to a committee. If the committee approves, the proposal is brought before the CGA Council for a vote. Then it is brought up to CGA Dean Caren Standfast for consideration. 

 

 

“This is how something transitions from one person’s bright idea into the school’s bright idea and how to carry that out through each other,” Standfast said. 

Because girls often suggest ways to improve the school, CGA is always changing because it is a leadership laboratory, Standfast said.

From the time CGA was created in 1971, it was determined that the school would “establish its own identity” separate from Culver Military Academy, which was established in 1894. It still is doing that through committees, she said. 

“CGA is always reinventing itself and adapting to a changing world,” Standfast said. 

Senior Ale Gutierrez remembers going to the Leadership Fair as a sophomore, her first year at CGA, and talking with second rotation Senior Prefect McKenna Littleton ’23 about the position. Gutierrez said she wasn’t doing well in school at that time, she was going to Homework Café, and thought there was no chance she could ever become the Senior Prefect.

Littleton, though, encouraged her to aim high.

“This made me realize I could make a change,” Gutierrez said. “This Leadership Fair helped me to set my eyes on the future, set my eyes on what positions I wanted and how I could get there. It inspired me to get better grades, study more, inspire people, become an authentic leader.”

Gutierrez started her senior year as a prefect on the Leadership Training committee. Last year, as a junior, she served as spiritual life prefect, admissions prefect, hall prefect and residential life prefect.

“Having these positions makes you grow as a leader,” she said. “They help you realize what kind of leader you are. They help you grow.”

She was elected second rotation senior prefect in October and is just finishing up her term. She said it all started with words of encouragement from Littleton.

“She told me, ‘You can get it. You just need to prepare yourself. You can make this happen. I know what you are capable of it,’ ” she said.

She said Littleton told her to “be kind to the girls. Be empathetic. Be a good leader. Know when to speak; know when not to speak. Be respectful and be on time.’ I started to do that and in my senior year I finally got it.”

 

 

CGA has a proven method of teaching leadership that starts with freshmen learning to follow and then being given increasing opportunities to exercise their voices, identifying what is important to them. By the time they are seniors, they are ready to build on the foundations of those who came before them and to motivate other girls to follow their vision. 

“Leadership is about growth, learning and constantly adding skills and tools to your toolbox,” said Katie Sewell SS’12 W’08, CGA residential education curriculum team leader. 

Sewell, who went to Choate Rosemary Hall boarding school in Wallingford, Connecticut, said CGA takes a different approach to leadership than nearly all other girls schools in that it begins preparing students for leadership as freshmen. Most boarding schools wait until junior year. 

“Here at CGA we have a tiered system so girls are always gaining leadership knowledge,” she said. 

“By senior year, we want them to have agency, influence perspective, legacy, be able to have difficult conversations with others and the ability to facilitate whatever changes are needed,” Sewell said. 

Sewell compared it to building mathematics skills, moving from algebra to geometry to calculus.  

Girls from all classes meet every Wednesday for dorm meetings, workshops and committee meetings. Upperclassmen run the committees and workshops. Adult counselors support and advise the girls. 

“That’s what gives them experience that a lot of other high schools don’t,” Sewell said. “Other students can work a job and get experience that way. But they don’t have the management experience our girls do through the committees. They are actually getting in there and not only being captains of their teams across campus, but they're being leaders in the dorm and across campus and learning to lead.”

Gutierrez said her leadership experience prepared her to be Senior Prefect. She also had words of wisdom for a younger student who asked her for advice in becoming Senior Prefect.

“I told her, ‘Every position you get, do your best so people can see what you can do. People will see you are putting in the work and effort. You are good working with people, you are always fair, always being empathetic, always trying to uplift people. It’s what you do with each position that counts,’ ” she said.