JMs Weekly News

Weekly News Topic: The Best Form of Leadership

April 6, 2015
By: Julia McDermott

Overview

Table of Contents:

For the past three months, eighth grader

Jillian McHugh of Salem Middle School has
been taking a close look at leadership, and
what it takes to be a good leader for a recent
school project. Using surveys and spending a
lot of time interviewing people in her town,
Jillian has come to conclusions about what
the best form of leadership looks like.
After collecting her data, and using her own
experiences with leadership, Jillians story
has impressed her teachers, peers and now is
hoping to impress the town. Check out Jillian
McHughs story.
Jillian McHugh, age fourteen eighth grader
(Continued on pg. 3)
at Salem Middle School has a sure passion
for her academic studies. Not only does she
love school, but also loves spending time
with friends and family, her beloved dog
Bailey, and participating in dance. Jillian also
spends a lot of her time at soccer practice.
She has two younger sisters, as well as one
older sister. The thing that truly makes Jillian
special is that she never fails to go above and
beyond her expectations. She holds within
her a special determination for everything
she pursues, and although nobody is perfect,
Jillian is for sure close to it!

Jillians recent English paper required
students to choose a topic of their own,
research, collect data, and write a 2-4 page
paper on it.
Pictured: Jillian McHugh, Salem Middle
(Continued on pg. 2)
School

1. Meet Jillian McHugh

2. Collection of Data/
Results
3. Read Jillians Story
4. Reflections/Leadership
Fair

Meet Jillian

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(Meet Jillian Continued...)
The topic in which Jillian decided to choose
and research was leadership. Her teacher,
Miss Watters, says that she chose this topic
because she always wants to be someone
everyone else can look up to. Miss Watters
describes Jillian as a young girl whom has
dreams unlike anyone, and also someone
with the best intentions.

The Meaning of
Family

90 percent of Jillian's data concluded that

mostly everyone looks up to their siblings,
parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, or even
grandparents. When Jillian started her
project, he did not realize that the collection
of data on the true meaning of leadership
(Continued on Pg. 4)

"Always be someone
everyone ele can look up to."
Data Collection

Between local pedestrians in her town,

including people of all ages, Jillian
interviewed as many canidates as she could
in order to find out what a true leader is
defined as. What Jillian came to find out, is
that the majority of her interview canidates
described leadership to come from someone
who everyone can look up to. A leader is
a person who sets the right example and
stands by their morals. Normally, we think
of leaders to be someone famous, or an adult
such as a teacher or coach to look up to. Of
(Continued on pg. 4)

Godly Rights District

Pictured: Jillian McHugh's little sister, Ella,
age 8 drawing of their happy family. Ella
wanted to take part in Jillian's project, and
to her happiness Jillian thought this to be a
great idea.

Dr. Carmen April

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According to Eleanor, Joe had always been

someone to be determined in life, something
she herself lacked. I found out that Joe had
always done well in school, had plenty of
friends, and was good at not only all the
sports he played but also participated and
"For the past few months I have been
clubs. Joe, to say the least, had it going for
collecting a series of data on what a true
leader means, and the definition of leadership him, but because of how hardworking he
always was.
based off of my peers and local townies. I

To this day, Eleanor says she will
interviewed my peers at school, everyone
always look up to her younger brother. She
around my neighborhood, and my own
family. I made sure to ask everyone the same joked with me, saying how funny it is how
things like that turn out. After my long talk
questions; 'what is leadership to you,' 'who
do you look up to,' 'do you consider yourself with Eleanor, I realized how truly important
the connection between family relationships
a leader to anyone.'
are.

When I interviewed my friends and
(Continued on pg. 4)
peers, I came to the conclusion that a lot of
them immediately assumed leadership is
connected with sports or famous people. In
many cases this is true. I also realized that
everyone has their own views and opinions
on who can be a leader and who cannot. That
is when I came across an issue.

The issue in which I stumbled upon,
was whether or not someone younger can
be viewed as a leader next to someone that is
older. In my own experiences, I can think of
one person I look up to even though she is
younger than me. But am I the only one that
is able to view someone younger as a leader?

In my opinion it takes a lot of
maturity and mental toughness to be able to
Dinkel
tell oneself that someone who many people
Pictured: Old photo of Eleanor and her
would not view as someone to look up to,
younger brother Joe. Photo taken when
that they actually are. This is when i found
Eleanor was only 5 years of age, and Joe 3
out that I am not the only one.
years of age. This picture represents the close

On March 4, 2015, I visited my next
relationship Eleanor and Joe possess, and how
door neighbor Eleanor, age 54 in order to
amazing it is that Eleanor looks up to her
interview her thoughts on leadership. Right
younger brother.
away, she told me that the best leader in
her life was her younger brother, Joe. She
explained to me that all her life she looked
up to Joe, despite their age differences.

Jillians Story

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(Jillian's Story Continued...)
When I got home that day, I observed my
family. I noticed how much I love everything
all three of my sisters say and do, and how
they overall go about their lives. I realized
that my sisters, even my younger ones
are great, genuine people. This is when I
concluded what a true leader is.

It does not matter how old, how
young, how big or how small someone is,
it is what is inside that makes them a good
person. To be a leader, one must be a good
person. Of course, nobody is perfect, and
everyone makes mistakes here and there.
That is the learning process. But it is how
these people react to their mistakes, and their
imperfections in which sets the examples for
others.

I can truly say that I look up to
my two younger sisters, as I notice their
strengths as opposed to my strengths. I look
up to my older sister for the same reasons.

Salem Leadership
Fair: April 20th

Dr. Carmen April

The Salem leadership fair is a chance for
students of all ages to come to downtown
Salem and learn what being a leader is all
about. Students will have a chance to listen to speakers, including Jillian McHugh
Leadership is one of the most crucial aspects talk about her project on leadership, and the
connection between leadership and family
to life for many reasons. As Jillian pointed
out, "it does not matter how old, how young, relationships.
how big or how small someone is, it is what
is inside that makes them a good person." Do
you consider yourself a good person? Do you
consider yourself a leader? What would the
Salem schools be like if everyone stood up
and became a leader?
would lead into an extraordinary story about
the strong connection of family in Salem,
Massachusetts. Ages ranging between ten
year olds, to as old as adults at the age of mid
fifty's responded that the best leaders in their
course, numerous people responded with
lives are that of family. It was at this point in
these answers, but what is truly amazing
which Jillian got an idea. It was time for her
within Jillian's studies was simply family.
to write her paper.

Reflections

Jillian's Story Continued

Data Collection Continued

Page 4