Abp. Hannan: Small school, big-time leadership

If you want to know why Catholic schools are special, consider the case of two Archbishop Hannan High alums who recently returned to their alma mater to coordinate the Louisiana Association of Student Councils state convention.
  
When James Estopinal, a 2016 graduate enrolled at LSU, and Alyssa Dowell, a 2015 graduate studying at Ole Miss, were Student Council leaders at Hannan, they spearheaded efforts to bring the LASC to campus. When it was time for the big event this month, they – and many other alums – returned to oversee the implementation.
 
And it was a triumphant return as more than 1,300 student leaders from 99 schools, representing all nine Student Council districts in Louisiana, attended the conference Jan. 14-16.
 
“We wanted to blow everyone out of the water,” Estopinal said, pointing out that this was the first year the event has ever been hosted on the northshore.

Ticket to the big top
It seems Estopinal, Dowell and friends did just that. With the theme “Your Ticket to Lead,” the carnival-themed convention transformed the Covington-area campus into a theme park, with rides, decorations and all the trimmings.
 
Beyond the decorations was a serious matter. “We want to inspire leaders to be better role models in their schools,” Estopinal said. “We want them to be the best they can be.”
 
Dowell, who had served as Student Council president at Hannan, said it was exciting seeing the students’ reactions to the carnival rides and action-packed event. Even better, she said, was the service carried out during the event, with visits to Forest Manor nursing home, the donation of 2,000 pairs of jeans for the homeless, and 8,000 books for children. In addition, the conference chose a charity to support: Cleft for a Cause, which helps raise money for children who need cleft palate reconstruction.

 
“Being a servant leader is so important,” Dowell said, citing Hannan Student Council advisor Charles Baird as her inspiration. “He believed in me when no one else did. He is a leader among leaders.”
 
And that was the topic of the weekend – leadership. It started with a packed house – or gym – on Jan. 14 with leadership tips from top local leaders such as Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond, Catholic schools superintendent Dr. Jan Lancaster and St. Tammany Parish Schools superintendent Trey Folse.
 
Archbishop Aymond gave a litany of leadership qualities, thanking the student leaders for embodying:
 
Integrity: “You hold onto values despite peer pressure.”
 
Respectful disagreement: “When we allow disagreement, we can do the job before us.”
 
Rejoicing in the gifts of others: “You recognize others’ gifts and you affirm those gifts. … We need one another.”
 
Big dreams: “You ask questions not asked before.”
 
Humility: “You are able to accept the fact that God loves us, recognizing that your gifts come from God, and you use them to serve others.”
 
Lancaster, superintendent of archdiocesan schools, thanked the students and added her own thoughts on leadership, encouraging the students to emulate Pope Francis.
 
“He knows the importance of service; you have to be a servant leader,” Lancaster said.
 
She also encouraged the students to “listen to your heart” and the nudging of the Holy Spirit, and emphasized the importance of compassion in a leader. “Show you appreciate and care,” she said. “Sometimes the little things are the biggest things.”
 
Folse gave thanks not only for the student leaders but also for their parents, teachers and advisers, who stood amid the crowded gym for recognition. He also shared with the students some of his favorite quotes on leadership, reminding them to follow the advice of John Quincy Adams: “If your actions inspire, you are a leader.”
 
“Leadership is not about you,” Folse added. “You are to help others, inspire and encourage.”
 
The conference, he said, was “a great opportunity for you to learn and share with others.”
 
The three-day, action-packed event also included time for sharing, learning and having fun with skits, oratory contests and roundtable discussions.
 
“It was really something,” said Baird, who is also Archbishop Hannan’s director of student activities. He also credited many others in coordinating the conference, including faculty member Jamie Alonzo as well as Dowell and Estopinal.
 
At one point before the event started, Baird said, “It seemed almost impossible,” but then it all came together. “And then we were pinching ourselves” at the way things did work out.
 
“To host this kind of production,” he said, takes teamwork, “with current students, alums, faculty, parents working together. Without that, you can’t pull it off. It’s the family way of life at Hannan.”
 
And that’s what Dominican Father Charlie Latour, principal, preaches.
 
“Father Charlie was there every step of the way,” Dowell said. “He knows that we know the Hannan Way.”
 
The Hannan Way is to “blow everyone out of the water” in a most impressive way.
 
“Father Charlie was as proud as could be,” Baird said.
 
Indeed, he was.
 
“I was so proud of the fact that this entire event was planned and executed by our students and Student Council and faculty advisors,” Father Latour said. “To watch them execute this so brilliantly, I could not be more proud. Realizing that a school of 600 students put on an event of this magnitude was awe-inspiring. Not to mention the number of parents who helped as well as our neighbors at Coquille Recreational Facility,” where some of the events were held.
 
“It shows the dedication and commitment to the whole Student Council program, which is about developing student leaders. Our program constantly does that and does it well.”
 
One of Hannan’s students – Nathan Estopinal, the brother of James – was elected district president. Perhaps Nathan will follow in his brother’s footsteps and blow everyone out of the water with his leadership skills, honed in the Hannan Way.