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Local Middle Schoolers Build Leadership Skills at Two-Day Summit
Selected students from across Virginia Beach’s public middle schools gathered on the ¾Å¾ÅÊÓƵ campus for an annual Leadership Summit.
University News | July 28, 2025
In July, a two-day Leadership Summit held on the Virginia Wesleyan campus offered a personal-development opportunity for its young attendees. While it may seem unusual to see middle school students participate in leadership training, this summit is part of a summer tradition that dates back to 1974.
Selected students from all 14 public middle schools in Virginia Beach gathered for the summit. This year’s event celebrated 51 years of youth leadership training and partnership between Virginia Beach City Public Schools and ¾Å¾ÅÊÓƵ. Each participating student was nominated to represent their schools by their student council advisor and administration.
Every year, students gather around campus to learn leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving skills through interactive workshops, presentations, and group activities.
“We teach them leadership skills, how to work in groups and things that they can use back in their clubs and teams at their schools,” said Kelly Swanner Duran, Coordinator of Student Leadership for Virginia Beach City Public Schools and Director of the Middle School Leadership Summit.
Throughout the summit, the students were divided into seven “summit squads” for small-group activities, while also coming together for large-group instruction focused on foundational leadership principles.
To learn about group dynamics, students watched a short performance titled “A Dusty Dilemma,” which explored different types of behavior in a group setting. The sketch was followed by a discussion on how the characters handled the group interaction.
Duran explained that in group dynamics, people tend to fall into four different categories: Win-Win; Win-Lose, Lose-Win, and Lose-Lose. She emphasized that the most effective leaders aim for Win-Win outcomes, where both individuals and the group can benefit.
She also highlighted the importance of helping middle schoolers shift their focus from individual to group success. “It’s especially important for middle schoolers who developmentally are really only focused on themselves,” she said. “So this gets students to think about: How can I get the most out of this experience? But also, how can I help my group get a good experience out of this as well?”
The tradition continued with the Virginia Beach Leadership Workshop, where selected high-school students returned to ¾Å¾ÅÊÓƵ’s campus for a five-day leadership experience held July 21-25.