Bovina Elementary holds leadership event

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Bovina Elementary School held a leadership event designed to showcase the Leader in Me initiative Thursday, Feb. 12.

As part of the Vicksburg Warren School District initiative of “Leader in Me”, a district wide program aimed at helping students learn discipline and responsibility, the students at Bovina Elementary held a program to help showcase their achievements.

With a safari theme for the school year, the students helped welcomed guests with animals commonly found on a safari hunt. Attendees were separated into groups such as lions, elephants and zebras.

The students then performed a musical rendition from the Lion King and taught event goers about their leadership qualities.

The individual groups were then lead on a tour of the campus by the students. The kids were well versed in the new additions to the campus and pointed out the new gym which was completed in the fall of 2025 and the new privacy. retaining wall recently constructed.

Bovina Principal Rebecca Jones is in her first full year as principal at the school. She took over the position in October of 2024. She was a teacher at Bowmar Avenue Elementary School in 2012 when the district rolled out the Leader in Me initiative.

Jones said she can see the lasting positive effects of Leader in Me on the children. She said the mindset is not only with the children, but also with the teachers. The mindset helped make the transition from teacher to principal a smooth change.

“From pre-k to sixth grade, everybody has a job. When they come into pre-k as 3-year-olds, 4-year-olds, they have jobs. And teaching them that responsibility really helps once they get older. It’s all about teaching them the responsibility, the integrity- we are going to do these types of things without necessarily having to use the leadership language, but we integrate it in so it all ties together,” said Jones.

As a districtwide initiative, all the schools have held or will hold Leadership Days to showcase the student’s abilities and attributes from becoming young leaders.