Today our guest is Elli McDaniel, Principal at Maple Lawn Elementary. We talk with Elli about the importance of student leadership. Eli shares about the student servant leadership program that she started as a teacher and now implements as the principal at Maple Lawn. She emphasizes that servant leadership starts with building staff, and provides practical ways that they have intentionally implemented student leadership. Elli explains that student involvement starts from the very first year that they step onto the campus, and highlights some of the ways that that students lead and serve each other every day at school and in the community.

Elli McDaniel has served in the field of education for 25 years, all in the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District. She began her career in elementary education as a teacher at Liberty Ridge Elementary, teaching for 17 years in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. She moved to the District Office for 2 years as Program Administrator for Elementary Curriculum and Instruction. She has been serving as principal at Maple Lawn Elementary for the last 6 years. Her goal is to continue to serve this community for years to come, growing the capacity of student and staff leaders to support the district promise to know, value, and support every student, helping them graduate ready to pursue a promising future.