2026 HSLP: Day 3
High School Leaders Program Class of 2026
Day 3: Monday, July 13th
Reported by: Lenox Wakefield, Maury High School and Cyrus Allana, George C. Marshall High School
Today, our cohort participated in our first day of class! Our earliest morning yet, we got a quick breakfast at O-Hill before heading to Shannon Hall for our Ethics and Public Service Lecture with Sarah Campbell. In groups of 8, we discussed the qualities of an ethical leader. Our “Ethical Values Test”, is the following:
If a leader is not _________, are they unethical?
Using this question, our groups crafted characteristics of leaders, to determine if they were ethical. Qualities like Empathy, Dedication, and Selflessness frequently came up. Following this small group time, we turned back to the lecture and entered some heated discussions regarding hypothetical dilemmas and sharing plans of action. To conclude the morning, we studied a thought from Thomas Jefferson, who advised his Grandson to make decisions as if “all the world [is] looking at you and act accordingly”. Just before lunch, we broke into Regional Groups, based on where we are from, with groups from Hampton Roads, Richmond, Charlottesville, Southwest Virginia, and Two Northern Virginia Groups. After a delicious meal at O-Hill, our groups presented issues in their region, and things their region does well, as well as across Virginia as a whole. From the full list of issues, six were chosen to be the topics for our Culminating Project. Later in the afternoon, we began our curriculum on the Informed and Thoughtful Citizen, and we had the pleasure of meeting our HSLP Instructor, Mrs. Meg Heubeck. Through some hilarious acting and rapping, we travelled back in time to pre-1607 Virginia, focusing on Native American populations, before moving on to Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride, and other courageous acts from Americans. Mrs. Heubeck briefly introduced a project for revitalization of Richmond’s Monument Avenue, before the group headed to dinner. After dinner, students parted ways to complete homework, visit the corner, play basketball, and go for a run on Grounds.