CHCA Eagle's Eye 2014

Boldly determined
Winning Twice with Habitudes
Habitudes is a national student-leadership course CHCA offers to freshman, sophomore and junior
students who have participated in at least one sport during the school year. It is a 13-week class, held
on Wednesday mornings before school begins.
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by Amy Lutts,
current CHCA parent of
Colin ‘17, Megan ‘19 and
Taylor ‘22
Habitudes, a national student-leadership course
we offer at CHCA, allows freshmen, sophomore and
junior student athletes to learn about different aspects
of leadership in team settings. The course is offered
on Wednesday mornings before school begins and a
rotation of speakers, including Matt Coleman, Michael
Coleman, Amanda Moore and Mariah Warburton
speak to the students and discuss the importance of
leadership in community. Students who attend 80% of
the classes or more by the end of the course receive
medals for their participation.
Our student athletes need a “growth process”, not
just an “event”—a growth process that can engage
“This program is unique in our area. I don’t know of
another school in the Cincinnati area with a dedicated
program cultivating student athletes as leaders.
This certainly will benefit our athletics program, but it
will benefit the school in general as well. At CHCA we
equip students to lead and change the world and this
program is just another way to accomplish that.”
– Matt Coleman, CHCA Athletic Director
them in dialogue and action. Habitudes calls this
growth process EPIC Generation: Experiential in that
they do not want a sage on the stage with a lecture for
them; Participatory in that they want to participate
in the outcomes of the program; Image-rich in that
these students have grown to speak a language of
images through exposure to television, video games
and the Internet; and Connected in that they are both
technologically and socially connected to the world
around them. The program Habitudes consists of a
10-minute video full of images that ignites discussion,
followed by experience.
Freshmen in the Habitudes program spend their
course learning about “The Art of Self-Leadership”.
The major themes discussed include the development
of character, self-discipline, personal values,
responsibility, initiative, self-esteem, time-management,
construction of a support network, positive attitudes
regarding conflict and a personal plan for growth.
Sophomores learn about “The Art of Connection with
Others”. Effective leaders must build personal power
before exercising positional power. This course helps
students build relationship skills in communication,
social awareness, handling criticism, listening,
encouragement, confrontation and more.
Juniors focus on “The Art of Leading Others and
Changing Culture”. The third year of the program
consists of major leadership principles including
casting vision, setting goals, leading effective teams,
handling criticism and leveraging influence to positively
impact others on the team.