Mr. Burgess, a leadership education, economics and personal finance teacher and new basketball coach has implemented a new program into the school system which allows interaction between high school students and elementary and middle school students. Read and Lead with a Blue Streak has given the leadership class, previously taught by him this year, the opportunity to read to younger students and interact with them.

Burgess explains more of what the program is about and its purpose in the local area.

“Through our leadership class, I’m trying to implement Read and Lead with a Blue Streak into the elementary and middle schools where we get our Blue Streaks to go back to be a role model and be a positive example on not only how to act in the school but more importantly when they are out in the community doing things the right way. That’s the beauty about as these kids matriculate elementary, to middle, to high school they learn all this book knowledge, more importantly we want to educate them on life skills in order for them to be positive role models in the community here in Harrisonburg, Virginia,” Burgess said.

The development of students in the leadership class throughout the year has prepared them for real life situations to apply their skills obtained within the classroom.

“In regards to the leadership class it’s been great seeing the maturation process of the students on how early on in the beginning of the year they were only in small cliques in the classroom and how the students were very shy in regards to getting up in front of the class, or reaching out in the cafeteria or doing commercials. The leadership class has evolved to getting out to these different elementary and middle schools,” Burgess said.

This is not Burgess’s first rodeo when it comes to programs of this sort.

“That being said, this is something I’ve been doing with colleges for the last twenty years. As well as when I was a student athlete at Radford University we would go back to the elementary schools and middle schools we would speak and read to the students, and we were the role models in the community, so that is something we are implementing here. So many times these younger student ask, ‘What is a Blue Streak?’ or say ‘I’ve never been to a high school event.’ Well now we are putting in that networking, but more importantly building that relationship between these students so they want to be here. That’s really the key, developing that relationship and showing them what it’s like to be a role model,” Burgess said.

Timing is a key factor for this program to function with ease with the students themselves and between schools.

“With this being the first year, it was challenging. We were unable to get into all the schools due to SOLs and testing, but I’m pleased to get into the four schools that we visited. Next year with our leadership class, our plans are to start the program earlier. This year we had a lot of things we had to progress throughout the class, making sure the students were ready to embrace their role as role models,” Burgess said.

Burgess has even bigger plans for the program for years to come.

“I would love getting more students involved with the program, not only students from my leadership class. That’s the big picture of what our goal is. I would love to this to evolve to a big thing for these younger students to look forward to seeing a Harrisonburg High School Blue Streak coming out to their school. My dream would to be to get a bus to each school and we get students who are responsible and take pride in being a role model onto these buses. A bus goes to Waterman, a bus goes to Spotswood, a bus goes to Stone Spring and so forth. Then there’s a thirty minute period where they are reading. Instead of having nineteen students reading to one grade level, imagine having forty student reading to multiple grade levels,” Burgess said.

Burgess speaks on why he does this, how it makes him feel and the importance of giving back to the community.

“In regards to giving back, I think we all should give back, but I get great satisfaction giving back to the community. I remember I was once their age, and I think a lot of adults and people in their positions to give back to whether it’s high school students or student athletes. At times we forget we were once their age and how impressionable we were and it’s great to have that platform to be able to give back to these youngsters. I am a product of the HCPS school system, so it’s even more gratifying when I visit my old elementary school that I attended. It’s even better when I’m able to do it with my current students such as yourself and back into these school and have an impression on these youngsters,” Burgess said.

Building the program the correct way will allow students to make a big impact on younger students as they progress.

“Those students in Mrs. Burgess’s class and also from the Waterman class, I spoke with some of those teachers and those students are still talking about the leadership class and how they took the time to sit down and read. That the beauty of making that relationship and making that connection with these youngsters and how they want to be a Blue Streak now,” Burgess said.

Gallery • 18 Photos

Christian Rodriguez

Sophmore Monalisa Gebretsadik reads to Waterman Elementary School students.