300 Fayette Students Build Leadership Skills at Countywide Conference

On Saturday, August 15, Fayette County Public Schools brought together 300 student leaders and student-athletes for a dynamic morning focused on building practical, real-world leadership skills. The event offered attendees strategies to take back to their classrooms, athletic teams, clubs and local communities.

The Student Leadership Conference allowed selected high school students to participate in interactive breakout sessions led by an impressive lineup of local business leaders, educators, coaches and community organizers. Throughout the morning, presenters tackled a wide range of essential life skills, including effective communication, servant leadership, goal setting, time management, establishing healthy team culture, prioritizing physical and mental wellness, navigating social media and building meaningful professional networks for future opportunities. 

Assistant Superintendent Maggie Walls kicked off the morning conference by emphasizing that leadership is defined by influence, not authority. Walls challenged the traditional notion that leadership belongs solely to those with formal positions or team captain titles.

“You don’t need a title to be a leader. Sometimes the people without the title are the best example of leadership. It’s so much more than just a title,” Walls said. 

Following her opening remarks, Walls transitioned the audience into an interactive exercise. Students sat together in small groups to discuss the personal role models in their own lives and brainstorm ways they could step up as better leaders within their lives. Walls concluded her session with a powerful takeaway for the young leaders to carry throughout their lives: “Consider what will become possible for other people because of you, the example you set, and your leadership towards others.”

Adding a professional athletic perspective to the day, former NFL veteran and Sandy Creek High School alumnus Andrew Gardner took the stage to share his personal journey. Gardner detailed his path from local high school football to playing at the highest professional level, as well as his transition into life after sports. 

“It’s not about where you are, it’s about where you are going,” Gardner said, reminding students that current progress is only a part of their story. He added that a student’s “perception, and how you choose to feel about things, almost matters more than what actually happens to you.”

Following the keynote speakers, students broke out into smaller breakout groups to dive deeper into practical workshops. These groups covered topic areas such as everyday fitness strategies, clear group communication and overcoming mistakes. 

Coco Jung, a senior and swim team member at McIntosh High School, reflected on how the small group discussion shifted her perspective on group dynamics and collaboration.

“I learned that being a true leader isn’t about having the biggest voice in the room, but having the most impact on others through effective communication and actions,” Jung said. 

She said that before the conference she assumed leadership meant “being a boss – to be the person who takes all of the credit,” but realized that “nothing can be done without the people who help me.”

Chick-fil-A Chairman Dan Cathy joined Walls for an engaging sit-down talk. Cathy shared personal leadership principles honed over decades of executive experience, underscoring mutual respect as the ties of a strong organized community.

“If you hold things back and don’t share things with people, it makes your world smaller,” Cathy said. “When you share information with people and you show respect, people will follow you as a leader.”

Cathy closed the event by encouraging students to remain lifelong learners, regardless of how much success or authority they achieve in the future. “The best way to be a great leader is to let people see that you have a lot of curiosity and the appetite to grow and learn.” Cathy said, reminding the room that true growth requires constant curiosity.

Beyond equipping attendees with practical, lifelong skill sets, the Student Leadership Conference succeeded in bringing the broader Fayette County educational community closer together. By bringing student-athletes and campus leaders from different schools into one room, the event created a lasting platform for collaboration, networking, and personal growth.