CHAPEL HILL—The North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s first annual Student Leadership Conference was a big success.
The one-day conference was held Saturday at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.
The event was designed to help student-athletes further develop their understanding of positive leadership and gain knowledge and skills to assist them in effectively leading their peers.
A total of 119 individuals registered for the event. That included 97 student-athletes from across North Carolina, representing 44 different NCHSAA member schools, and 22 adults, including coaches, athletic directors, other school administrators or parents.
Presentations were made by NCHSAA staff, including commissioner Davis Whitfield, deputy commissioner Que Tucker and assistant commissioner Mark Dreibelbis. Also presenting were Brenton Sumler, coordinator of leadership and development for student-athletes at Appalachian State University; Barbara Carlton, lead drug and violence prevention specialist for the Alamance-Burlington school system; and Teresa Coleman of the Bladen County schools, who has worked with the Student Athlete Summer Institutes and the NCHSAA’s Coach-Captain Retreats for years.
Kwain Bryant of Charlotte, a program developer and training specialist with Empowerment Exchange, and Stephen Bargatze, director of student services for the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), were the keynote speakers.
The Student Leadership Conference was hosted by the NCHSAA Student Athlete Advisory Council under the direction of Chiquana Dancy, assistant director for student services with the NCHSAA.
“We are very pleased with the results of our first statewide Student Leadership Conference,” said Whitfield. “We believe the conference offered insights and experiences in areas such as leadership, substance abuse prevention, conflict resolution, positive coach-athlete relationships, time management, and careers in athletics. We remain committed to helping the student-athletes who participate in our programs in a variety of ways, not just on the playing court or field.”
