In mid-December, a group of Brunswick High School students gathered at the Maritime Industrial Workforce Training Center—a new regional hub for shipbuilding and technical training that sits on the redeveloped site of the former Naval Air Station at Brunswick Landing. The building, now nearly 50,000 square feet of classrooms and lab space, was created by Maine Maritime Academy in partnership with Bath Iron Works and other regional education partners to prepare the next generation of Maine’s maritime and manufacturing workforce.
For these students, the center became the backdrop for the first session of the Dragon Leadership Collaborative, a grant-supported program at Brunswick High School designed to cultivate inclusive, student-centered leadership. With support from the MaineHealth Community Health Improvement Fund, the Collaborative brings together student leaders from across school athletics programs, the performing arts, student government, clubs, and students identified by staff as emerging leaders—to help them build skills, confidence, and connections. The Collaborative is coordinated by a team of school leaders, including Kaitlin Urges, Brunswick High School Dean of Students, and Brunswick High School Athletic Director Kaili Philips.
The first session was held at Brunswick Landing to give students focused time away from their regular schedule and connect their leadership work to a space that represents opportunity, workforce development, and pride for the Midcoast community. Students began the morning with a keynote from Ayesha Hall, Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Maine Department of Education (DOE). Hall spoke about “look-fors” in leadership—what you should actually be able to see in someone who is leading well, regardless of whether they have a formal title—and drew on her own experience as an education and community leader to highlight the many ways students already shape school culture through relationships, creativity, and everyday choices. Throughout a discussion, students asked thoughtful questions about the challenges of leadership, including how to handle conflict and how to stay grounded when others look to them for direction.
The rest of the session was built around student voice. In small groups, students developed shared agreements for how they want to work together and identified the “qualities of a Brunswick High School leader.” They reflected on which of those qualities come naturally and which they are still developing, and then they considered what their school and the groups they represent need from them as leaders. The morning closed with each student setting a personal leadership goal to work on before the Collaborative meets again. go deeper on
As part of an exit activity, students suggested topics they want to explore more deeply in future gatherings. In a follow-up email, organizers shared that two themes rose to the top: “Leading without being bossy” and “Traditions that support equitable, healthy groups.” With those priorities in mind, the team is planning a workshop on leadership styles and personality traits for late February, with a guest from the University of Southern Maine’s career advising center, and a spring workshop with a nonprofit focused on recognizing healthy and unhealthy group dynamics.
“We are excited for our next two workshops with this group,” organizers noted in their update, reflecting the school’s commitment to letting student interests shape the direction of the Collaborative.
Although the Dragon Leadership Collaborative has only met once so far, Brunswick High School leaders say they see it as a promising way to recognize a wider range of student leaders and to give them tools to use their voices for positive change. By pairing MaineHealth Community Health Improvement Fund support with a partnership-rich location like the Maritime Industrial Workforce Training Center, Brunswick is helping students practice leadership in the same kinds of spaces that are preparing Maine’s future workforce.
Maine DOE Newsroom 