2019 Leadership Program

On Monday, 15 July, the Leadership Group, comprising fifteen Year 11 stu-dents from Redfield, accompanied by Mr Cavanna and Mr Mejia, departed for the USA. After a very long flight over the Pacific, the excitement levels rose dramatically as the pilot announced our imminent arrival into Houston. Stepping out of the airport, we were hit by a wall of heat and humidity, with the USA experiencing their worst heatwave in over five years.

After a much needed sleep, we were up early the following morning and fly-ing off to Washington DC, our home for the next 12 days. As we approached Ronald Reagan Airport, we flew right next to the Washington Mall with its many famous landmarks in plain view. It was a magnificent entry into DC. We drove out to our hotel in Rockville, Maryland and, after a quick tour of the town, the boys were keen to get their first taste of good old-fashioned American cuisine… burgers, fries and soda! The super-sized proportions were a challenge well received and well conquered.

The actual conference began on Wednesday, 17 July and the ten-day schedule was extremely demanding, with students being kept busy the en-tire time. The days alternated between ‘Seminar’ days and ‘Excursion’ days. Seminars were held at The Heights School, our brother school in Washington DC, and the boys would typically attend five to six sessions per day. Excursion days had us trekking through all the well-known sites of DC, where we aver-aged 25000 steps per day! This certainly was not a trip for those weak of mind and body.

The speakers at the Conference made a great impression on our students. Not only were they extremely well qualified but the sessions were informative and highly engaging. Lectures beginning at 9:00am and finishing at 9:00pm (with time thrown in for Mass, sport, meals, lively discussions plus moments for prayer and reflection) made our days incredibly fulfilling.

Highlights from the lectures included:

• “USA: Its Government and Leadership” and “The Vision of the American Founding Fathers” presented by James Callagan (History major from St Mary’s College) and James Callaghan (History and American Politics graduating from The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina);
• “Business Leadership” presented by Pat Kilner (current Chairman of the School Board and CEO of Kilner Group Companies) plus another lecture on “Innovation”;
• “People Skills” presented by Mike Ferguson (graduate of Notre Dame and Georgetown and former Congressman for New Jersey in the US House of Representatives from 2001-2009);
• “The Art of Being in Front of People” presented by Joseph Bissex (MA from University of Dallas and current Drama teacher at the Heights);• “What is Professionalism” presented by Gerard Babendreier (BA from Columbia University and JD from Harvard Law School working as a litigator for a number of top firms in the north east);
• “Networking, Relationship and Social Media” presented by Tom Cox
(Greek and Latin major from Hillsdale College);
• “St Thomas More, his Life and Example” by David Maxham (BA from Rutgers College);
• “People Skills” presented by Bill James (BSc in Economics from the US Naval Academy with 20 years active service, Founder and President of First-Line Financial Inc.);
• “The 21 Laws of Leadership” by Nelson Bendeck (BSc from George Washington University and Leadership Program Coordinator at the Heights);
• “The Church as a Leader and Our Role Today” by Peter Vitz (BA from New York University); and
• “The Great Books” by Michael Ortiz (MA from Georgetown and author of children’s novels).
• Our trips around the city included visits to the following places:
• A special tour of the White House, including rooms in the East Wing and a tour of United States Congress Building, the US Supreme Court and the Congress Library;
• World Bank Headquarters with a talk from Mr John Perrottet (former Redfield dad and employee of World Bank with global portfolio focused on investments in the tourism industry);
• George Washington University and a guided tour of Georgetown University by alumnus Michael Ortiz;
• Smithsonian Museums including a visit to the Air and Space Museum on the day of the 50th anniversary of the landing on the moon, National History Museum, National Gallery of Art;
• The Holocaust Museum, American History Museum and the National Archives Museum;
• Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial and World War 2 Memorial;
• The Air Force Memorial, including a talk by General Bruce Wright (former Air Force Pilot and Commander of Pacific Operations), The Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery; and
• A tour and a presentation at the Heritage Foundation (the biggest conservative think tank in the USA).

I was astounded by what the boys achieved in those ten days. Apart from everything mentioned above, many boys took advantage of the opportunity to get up early to attend daily Mass. There was also an impromptu training session with the Heights rugby team, an outing to a major league baseball game, sports competitions, a session at the local ice-skating rink and, of course, a few hours well spent shopping at the factory outlet stores near the hotel.

On the last day in DC, the boys received certificates for completing the course and there was a special award for the person who best exemplified the “spirit of leadership” throughout the camp. This award was won by Michael Rossi with the Program Coordinator highlighting Michael’s generosity in always helping out and serving others.
After saying goodbye to our new-found friends in DC, we were on a bus to the Big Apple. Our hotel was conveniently located in midtown, right next to Central Park and for three days we took advantage of our short stay in New York to see as much as possible.

This included:
• Dinner in Times Square, which was packed with thousands of summer tourists from around the world, Sunday Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral followed by visits to the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Plaza, Trump Tower, Central Park, Wall Street, Freedom Tower, 9/11 Memo-rial and the Statue of Liberty; and
• A visit to the IESE Business School with a talk on “how to make it in New York” from Associate Professor John Almandoz followed by a talk from the Vice President of Topps Inc., Mr Clay Luraschi, about the importance of “Networking”.

Needless to say, after all of that, getting sleep on the plane on the way home was never going to be a problem. It was a life-changing experience for all involved and the boys certainly did their families and the College proud. Mr Cavanna and I were thoroughly impressed and the fruits of this trip will be felt in the participants’ families, at the school and in the community at large for years to come.

Congratulations to the following boys who have now graduated from the 
“2019 Becoming a Leader Program”:

• Zachary Boddy
• Michael Denahy
• Seth Elzerman
• Joseph Gaitau
• Peter Gosper
• Andrew Kazzi
• Jonathan Mackenzie
• Julian Marabut
• Thomas Meney
• Jacques Morrissey
• James Rahme
• Emmanuel Rogers
• Michael Rossi
• Joshua Wijangco
• Jacob Yassa

Expo Mejia
Director of Formation Programs