By Wayne Laepple
MILTON — Tabitha Beaver was in South Korea this past spring, on a Milton Rotary Club exchange trip, when she got the news.
Thousands upon thousands of miles couldn’t curb the enthusiasm she felt upon learning she had been given the job of running the Building Leaders for the Susquehanna Valley program.
“I was thinking about it all the time I was away,” said Beaver, communication and education coordinator at the Central Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce.
Beaver operates the chamber’s School Counts program, which urges students to develop good study habits, and she also works with Milton and Warrior Run schools, and Meadowbrook and Watsontown Christian schools, on career development projects.
She coordinates job shadowing, career fairs and the chamber’s Business and Education Partnership, so she was the chamber board’s logical choice to take on the Building Leaders for the Susquehanna Valley program.
The program was started in 1996 by Guy Temple, former director of the adult Leadership Susquehanna Valley, and Janet Allis, a Penn State cooperative extension educator.
Since 1996, the program graduated 565 high school juniors and was recognized for the positive effect it has had on students. However, when Allis announced her retirement last spring, Penn State University declined to continue the program.
When the chamber’s business and education committee found out, they asked the chamber to adopt the program.
“My goal is to keep the program going,” Beaver said. “While we’re staying with the program outline, we’re going to update parts of it and improve it.”
The Building Leaders for the Susquehanna Valley program is patterned after the Leadership Susquehanna Valley and Leadership Central Penn programs. Participants meet monthly from September through April, and discuss specific topics, such as diversity, economics, local government, law and communication.
Beaver is responsible for the program, which covers Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties.
“Scheduling has been a nightmare,” she laughed. “Everyone is so busy and involved in so many things. There are really only two or three days each month that will work for everyone.”
Rising juniors from all public and private schools in the five-county region may apply, she said, and participants are selected by officials from their schools. A student’s $60 fee is paid by the school districts or by contributions from businesses and service groups.
“I’ve been so impressed with the kids,” Beaver said. “They have such impressive backgrounds, and they’re all doing lots of things besides school.”
The emphasis, Beaver said, is not on those who are stars or leaders in their schools, but on those who have potential to become leaders. Ideally, she’d like to have four to five students from each school, although she notes that the numbers range from one to six right now.
“It’s a real mix of students, a blend that I hope is representative of their homes schools,” she said.
So far, the feedback has been positive, Beaver said. Teachers and counselors are pleased the program is continuing.
The September sessions were to break the ice, an opportunity for participants to get to know one another and for Beaver to review the goals and expectations of participants.
“We did some team building things that were really great,” Beaver said.
She described giving each group a handful of toothpicks and gumdrops and asking them to build a tower, without speaking to one another. Part way through the exercise, groups rotated to a different project.
“They had to pick up and work on something they hadn’t started,” she said. “It was really interesting.”
Beaver said she believes she can relate well to the students because she is only about 10 years older than they are, and she hopes her excitement and passion for the program rubs off on them.
“Group 1 (Columbia and Montour counties) were pretty quiet during the first session,” she said, “but Group 2 (Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties) really enjoyed themselves.”
Another feature of the programs is guest speakers. Beaver has asked a variety of community and business leaders to visit, make presentations and lead discussions with the students. In addition, several tours of local businesses, hospitals, environmental centers and other points of interest are planned.
“Right now, it’s all trial and error on my part,” she said. “I’m open to all questions and suggestions.
“I’m honored and proud to work these kids,” she said.
