Return to Headlines

Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School Certified as Leader in Me Lighthouse School

Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) is excited to announce that one of their application schools, Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School, has been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School by FranklinCovey Education.

Leader in Me is an evidence-based PK-12 model, developed in partnership with educators, designed to build resilience and leadership in students, create a high-trust culture, and help improve academic achievement. This model unites students, staff, and families around a common goal: to prepare students with the college-, career-, and life-readiness skills necessary to thrive in today’s ever-changing, fast-paced environment. With Leader in Me, students learn to become self-aware, interdependent, take initiative, plan ahead, set and track goals, do their homework, prioritize their time, be considerate of others, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, find creative solutions, value differences, live a balanced life and contribute to society.

Lynne Zahn, principal of Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School, said, “We are honored to have been certified as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. We have seen amazing results from implementing the Leader in Me model at our school, such as increased attendance, decreased discipline issues and higher academic achievement. This model has had a significant impact on all students and we expect to see even greater results over time. We look forward to seeing the impact this has as our students transition to the new Belle Isle Enterprise High School opening in fall 2026.”

Within the PK-12 education community, Lighthouse Certification is a highly regarded standard that is attainable by every Leader in Me School. Since its official launch, more than 7,000 public, private, and charter schools across 70 plus countries have adopted the Leader in Me model, over 700 of which have achieved the prestigious Lighthouse Certification. It is earned by schools that demonstrate the following:

  • The principal, school administration, and staff engage in ongoing learning and develop as leaders, while championing leadership for the school.

  • Leadership principles are effectively taught to all students through direct lessons, integrated approaches, and staff modeling. Students are able to think critically about, and apply, leadership principles.

  • Families and the school partner together in learning about The 7 Habits and leadership principles through effective communication and mutual respect.

  • The school community is able to see leadership in the physical environment, hear leadership through a common language, and feel leadership through a culture of caring, relationships, and affirmation.

  • Leadership is shared with students through a variety of leadership roles. Student voice leads to innovations within the school.

  • Schoolwide, classroom, family, and community leadership events provide authentic environments to celebrate leadership, build culture, and allow students to practice leadership skills.

  • The school utilizes the 4DX® process (The 4 Disciplines of Execution) to identify and track progress toward Wildly Important Goals® (WIGs) for the school, classroom, and staff.

  • Students lead their own learning with the skills to assess their needs, set appropriate goals, and carry out action plans. They track progress toward goals in Leadership Notebooks and share these notebooks with adults in Student-Led Conferences.

  • Teacher planning and reflection, trusting relationships, and student-led learning combine to create environments for highly engaged learning.

Sean Covey, President, FranklinCovey Education, said, “We are thrilled to recognize Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School as a Leader in Me Lighthouse School. Schools that achieve this Lighthouse Certification are great examples of a strong leadership model, and of what it means to be a Leader in Me school. This school has experienced incredible results by implementing the principles and practices related to Leader in Me. And we are so pleased and honored to be their partner and to celebrate the success they are experiencing.”

Belle Isle Enterprise Middle School will maintain its Lighthouse Certification for two years and will continue to foster its growth and proficiency in exemplifying a leadership culture and principles. At the end of the two years, the school will recertify its Lighthouse Certification through a virtual self-assessment, describing and celebrating its growth and accomplishments since its original Lighthouse designation.

Leader in Me is having a significant, measurable impact on schools all over the world and in the lives of millions of students, parents, teachers, and administrators. To learn more about the impact the model is having, see the following research highlights: www.leaderinme.org/research-highlights-academics/.

For more information on the model that has been implemented in more than 7,000 schools and in more than 70 countries, visit www.leaderinme.org.