Bianca Moorman / The Meridian Star LaVonda Germany participates in a leadership training with The Meridian Public School District Wednesday.  

Learning how to lead takes teamwork.

That was the message for Meridian Public School District administrators during a training  on Wednesday. The LEAD program, which stands for Lead, Educate and Drive, was facilitated by Kim Benton.

Benton said the training focused on shaping a vision of academic success for all students, designing stronger institutional systems, managing data, cultivating leadership across the campus and developing strong community and family relationships.

“The Meridian Public School District is really investing in their people,” she said. “They are intent in making sure their assistant principals have the skills, expertise and the network of support to really find to their personal leadership skills.”

LaVonda Germany, elementary curriculum director, said Wednesday’s session offered tips on using student data to make decisions. 

“We are learning that data is more than just tests,” she said. “There are all types of data you can use to make all types of decisions in your building.”

Crestwood Elementary Assistant Principal Brittani Emerson said the training allowed her to connect with veteran school leaders.

“That’s the beauty of the program,” she said. “Not to just become a leader, but also to cultivate other leaders.”