What started out as a simple question of “why” has turned into something vital, empowering and life-changing. Suzanne Fox Overdorf, Mount Mercy Class of 1960, a long-time theology teacher at Bishop Timon, initiated a leadership program at her school for eighth grade boys. The program proved to be quite popular.
One day, tired of hearing her brother and cousins rave about the program, Overdorf’s granddaughter Brogan Maloney, a current senior at Mount Mercy, asked why there wasn’t a leadership program for girls. That simple question started something special at Mount Mercy Academy.
Mount Mercy Academy, under the direction of Overdorf, started a leadership program. The program, in its sixth year, is offered to females in eighth grade from local Catholic, public and charter schools. The program meets once per quarter at Mount Mercy Academy. It culminated with a graduation ceremony in late April.
All local grammar schools are invited to participate. Thirty girls received recommendations from their principals to be part of The Mount Mercy Academy Leadership Academy. Participating schools in this exciting program are South Buffalo Charter School, Notre Dame Academy, Queen of Heaven, St. John Vianney, West Seneca West Middle School, Southtowns Catholic, Our Lady of Victory and Discovery School.
“This program has given me confidence and courage,” stated Sophia Nowak, an eighth grade student at Queen of Heaven. “I can now stand up for what I believe in and never back down, acting as a role model for others.”
“I learned not to judge others, not to judge a book by its cover,” commented Isabella Smith, another eighth grader from Queen of Heaven. “I am more confident now and thanks to Mrs. Overdorf, I believe I can do anything.”
The program is designed to develop and refine inherent leadership skills. Public speaking is one of the main areas of focus during the program as it is an essential component of leadership. Students are instructed on how to identify strong role models through the use of literature, film, poems and inspirational quotes. Another facet of the program is learning about the moral responsibility that comes with leadership. This includes the onus to use one’s gifts to improve the world.
Students create a vision board to help them realize their short term and long term goals for the future. The future leaders are charged with the task of creating a service project based on a need in their schools or in the community.
“These young girls come in uncertain but exit confident,” Overdorf remarked. “A lot is expected of them in this program, but if you ask more, you receive more. These young students have raised the bar. They give us hope for the future. I believe in them and I know that they can do it.”
At the graduation ceremony, past graduates of the program, who are now members of the Leadership Academy at Mount Mercy, serve dinner to the graduates and their families. The graduates each speak about the program and their service projects.
Gianna Barone, an eighth grader from Notre Dame Academy remarked, “I learned that there are no shortcuts to anywhere that is worth going to.” Yemayah Roberts, an eighth grader at South Buffalo Charter School learned that a leader is compassionate, kind, and non-judgmental. “I now know the change I want to be,” she said.
Some of the projects this year included Roses for Roswell, where felt roses were made and distributed to cancer patients, collecting donations for organizations such as the SPCA, the Valley Community Center, and the South Buffalo Community Table; collecting diapers for Every Bottom Covered; and making tie blankets for the Genesis Center. Other projects included collecting books for students now in schools, making birthday party packages for all the children at the South Buffalo Community Table and donating to the Nickel City Canine Rescue.
In recent years, Mount Mercy Academy has expanded the Leadership Academy from strictly an eighth grade program to a five-year program in order to complement the other five existing “Academies within the Academy.” Students who participate in the Leadership Academy while attending Mount Mercy complete service work, both inside and outside of the school. This service incorporates the Critical Concerns of the Sisters of Mercy.
The impact of the Leadership Academy continues throughout the students’ high school years. Vayana Stoyanova, currently a senior at Mount Mercy, recently stated, “These values of faith, academic excellence, and diversified leadership, which have been ingrained into my heart over the past few years, beginning in Leadership Academy, were also crucial for me when it came time to choose the college I will be attending next year. I liked the mission statement of Stanford University, which is to promote the public welfare by exercising an influence on behalf of humanity and civilization. In short, to make the world a better place. I loved that. So I applied to Stanford and am proud that this is the community I will be joining because their values align closely with my own.”
Another current Mount Mercy senior who is a four-year member of the Leadership Academy, Addison Barth, spoke of the effect of the academy on her. “Being a part of this program helped me discover a level of confidence that I had never fathomed. I took this confidence with me to high school, where it only grew as I tackled roles in student government, varsity sports, mock trial, and several other clubs. Four years ago, I also had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. But the leadership academy has helped me understand my own values and has given me direction. I learned that kindness is the best policy and that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Now, I plan to attend the University of Notre Dame to study architecture,” Barth remarked.
Overdorf commented, “These graduates are now empowered to believe in themselves and make the world a better place. They truly are a gift to the world, as well as to me.”
