The Warrior Way Leadership Summit (WWLS) has returned to Westerville North High School (WNHS) as it was put on hold last 2020-2021 school year due to COVID-19. The summit revolves around underclassmen who are chosen by teachers and staff to partake in a day to learn about leadership, listen to speakers, and get to know one another. The day is based around the prominent “Warrior Way” that is instilled in the minds of students at Westerville North. 

   The “Warrior Way” was established by former principal Jim McCann in the 90s as the result of a fight that broke out among students. McCann created this with hopes of creating a more positive and respectful environment at Westerville North. 

   Prior to this year’s summit, teacher John Sands was head of the program. However, Sands decided to step down and pass the torch to teacher, Marcus Lingrell. 

    Lingrell had previous experience with the WWLS but this was his first year as head administer of the summit. 

   “It was a big time commitment [compared to previous years],” Lingrell said. 

   Although the preparation was fairly easy, Lingrell understood the challenges that came along with the big event. 

   “The hardest part was logistics,” Lingrell said. “Inviting people, getting people where they need to be, shirt sizes…those types of things.”

   The focus this year was emphasis on Westerville North’s “Five C’s”— Coach-able, Committed, Community, Consistency, and Communication. 

   The day started off in the morning with a few simple icebreaker questions and lead into guest speakers: Jim McCann and student Maya Chaffin. In the afternoon, skits, Kahoot!, and student led activities took place.

   Lingrell and several other staff members were able to gather approximately 160 students in North’s main gym and also received help from The Warrior Athlete Leadership Team (WALT).

  WALT members took part in the day but took the lead for the last hour of the day, creating fun tasks for the underclassmen. Olivia Snyder (12) was one of the several WALT members who helped out throughout the day.

   “We got to interact and help lead the underclassmen in several fun activities…it was a great learning experience not only for me but for all the students,” Snyder said. 

   WALT members were separated into five groups—each group was presented with one of the 5 C’s. From there, they were expected to create an activity and discussion based around the term. Snyder’s team received “Communication.”

   “We played games like telephone and duck, duck, goose to represent the importance of communication…at the end we all talked about what good and bad communication looked like in the classroom or within a team,” Snyder said. 

   Along with Snyder, Lauren Armstrong (10) was able to experience the day with her classmates. Having no knowledge of the summit, she was unsure of what to expect.  

   “I went in a bit nervous..it honestly exceeded my expectations,” Armstrong said. 

   As a student-athlete, Armstrong hopes to apply the qualities she learned about, in the classroom, among her teammates, and even at home. 

   “I am always going to try to be the best leader… I will always try to bring positivity,” Armstrong said. 

 After a successful day of listening, learning, and growing, Lingrell had noticed change that went beyond just the gymnasium. 

   “In my line of sight…I think there has been a lot more positivity and kids have been communicating better,” Lingrell said. 

   The Warrior Way Leadership Summit has developed into a part of the Warrior culture as it connects students, allows others to listen, and most importantly, gives students the opportunity to embody the true meaning of the “Warrior Way.”