Foley Middle Awarded Lighthouse Status

FOLEY, Ala. — Foley Middle School has become the first middle school in the state to be awarded “Lighthouse” status, Gulf Coast Media reported. The designation follows five years of implementation of the “Leader in Me” program, a requirement for Lighthouse status. “The whole idea behind Leader in Me is that everybody can be a leader in their own way,” explained Principal Ashley McNair. “We have lots of opportunities within the school to help our kids find their way and where their leadership skills are going to be useful, and, at the end of the day, just teaching them to be good people, to be good citizens.” For the Lighthouse review process, she said, the school put together a digital binder that showed its full journey. That went to a committee for review, and Lighthouse review members were sent to spend the day at the school, meeting with parents, students, teachers and the Lighthouse core team. Where the Lighthouse model idea comes into play, she said, is in “the concept of shining that light and spreading it over a wide area. We know that if we can instill these values in these students now, it will filter out into the community in the long run, because our students will be the adults in our community in just a few short years.”