The culture and visual aesthetics of a school are critical to building a welcoming environment for staff, students, and the community. At any given time, you can find school leaders, staff, and even students working on ideas to ‘beautify’ their campuses. And that is exactly what I found one afternoon at Pinecrest Elementary, a Leader in Me school here in Immokalee.

“The Staff Lighthouse Team at Pinecrest agreed that a staff beautification event would be beneficial,” shares principal Laura Mendicino. “It allowed us time to ‘sharpen the saw’ and get to know each other.”

Sharpen the Saw® is a reference to one of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People® which focuses on timeless principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity. For Mendicino, it’s important that her staff model the habits in their daily lives. “You must understand and live the habits prior to teaching them. They are not a ‘lesson,’ they are a way of life.”

Pinecrest’s beautification project allowed the staff to model the habits while relaxing and expressing their creativity—whether it be through painting, planning, creating posters, or cleaning up the campus. “It brought a sense of pride to the school once everyone returned to campus the following day,” adds Mendicino.

“It is nice for us to see the positive changes which make our campus beautiful,” explained fifth-grade student Karina Calmo. “When the students see it, it makes us happy.”

In addition to making the students happy, it provides them an opportunity to show off their leadership skills. “The changes are great!” exclaimed Judenie Quettant, a fifth grader at the school. “I like watering the plants because it gives me a leadership role. Adults can see me doing a good job and trust me to do other things on campus.”

According to Mendicino, campus beautification is ongoing in all Leader in Me schools. “Our campus is a canvas for culture, and a school’s culture grows as the school grows in the leadership process. That’s the exciting part of being a Leader in Me school.”