Learning to lead at Pacific Ridge School
It’s tempting to associate leadership with titles: team captain, club president, yearbook editor, or event chair. But the skills needed for effective leadership are cultivated long before titles arrive.
Learning to listen. Speaking up when you have something to contribute. Working with others who may approach a problem differently. Taking responsibility for an outcome. Recognizing your own strengths and impact. At Pacific Ridge School, developing those skills begins in sixth grade and grows along with students.
Starting in the classroom, around oval Harkness tables, every student is engaged and expected to participate – asking questions, listening closely, considering different perspectives, and building on ideas. Over time, students develop ease and fluency in advocating for their thinking while also learning when and how to make space for someone else.
“At the Harkness table, the teacher may guide, but the students lead the dialogue,” says Elizabeth Grossman, Assistant Head of Upper School. “As a result, students develop key skills in critical thinking and communication. They practice active listening, how to ask meaningful questions, and how to help move a group of people forward.”
These skills are reinforced throughout the school experience. Sixth grade emphasizes exposure to new experiences and finding your place in a community. Seventh graders gain greater choice and independence. By eighth grade, leadership becomes an explicit focus as students mentor younger Firebirds and are challenged to leave the Middle School better than they found it.
In Upper School, students can start and lead clubs, guide Service Learning groups, serve on Student Council, captain athletic teams, lead affinity and alliance groups, and represent the school as student ambassadors and scholar athletes. In Service Learning alone, students progress from training and collaboration in ninth grade to leadership roles in grades 10 through 12.
Pacific Ridge also provides distinct training through its annual Student Leadership Institute. Student leaders from across campus explore their leadership styles and practice self-awareness, teamwork, organization, goal setting, and reflection – all skills they apply to the teams and organizations they lead.
Students also learn that leadership requires working effectively with people who see things differently. Reflecting on his experience leading Pacific Ridge’s Model UN club, Luca Tuvo ‘26 pointed to the importance of “respect and regard for both your ally and your adversary” when working toward compromise.
That lesson extends well beyond Model UN. Some of the most important leadership lessons don’t come from being the person in charge. They come from navigating disagreements, helping others, organizing people around an idea, recovering when something doesn’t go according to plan, and recognizing when you can positively impact those around you.
Founded by local families in 2007, Pacific Ridge School serves more than 640 students in grades six through 12. The school is renowned for its commitment to fostering academic excellence, ethical responsibility, and global engagement. The school’s mission is to prepare students not only for college but also for purposeful lives as engaged global citizens. To learn more about Pacific Ridge School, visit pacificridge.org.