The Southern Fulton Class of ’17 winners of Mellott’s Values Based Leadership awards visited their alma mater before Christmas to participate in a panel discussion to benefit the SFHS Class of ’18. Facilitated by Jeff Rowland, HR director of Mellott, the panelists shared tips and experiences designed to help the current students prepare to compete for the Mellott Values Based Leadership Awards in 2018, as well as get a glimpse of what awaits the seniors who choose to attend college. Serving as panelists and the respective value for which they were awarded by Mellott were: Shaelyn Wawro, Safety; Kaetlyn Wertz, Integrity; Levi Shank, Commitment; Hollie Williams, Respect, and; Karlie Ward, Excellence.
Rowland invited the panelists to describe college life, asking such things as how the food is at college, what to expect from roommates, and what is different about going to college.
The panelists all agreed that just about everything is different in college, from mustering up the self-discipline to attend class where attendance in not taken, to encountering diversity totally different from Fulton County.
When asked about how to prepare presentations to compete for Mellott Values Based Leadership awards, the main point centered on preparing well and early. “If you start preparing your project the week before you give your presentation, it will show,” said Ward. Getting out of your comfort zone might also help, said Shank. “I am not an outgoing person, but you need to take on the role of an outgoing person to make an impression,” he said.
Meredith Hendershot, SFHS principal, added that it’s as important to make a good, memorable impression on the judges as it is to prepare well for the presentation of the project.
“Make sure that things work before you actually do your presentation,” said Williams. “I had technical difficulties because of a slow network connection and I should have prepared and off-line presentation instead,” she said.
Adhering to the idea that practice makes perfect, the panelists implored the seniors to practice, not just until they get it right but until they are not able to make a mistake during the presentation.
