Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Clapham School’s vision and mission support the end goal of cultivating students who embody the Portrait of a Graduate:
Our vision is for Christ-centered, joyful, and servant-hearted learners and leaders who:
- Believe and cherish the Gospel, enjoying a growing faith in Jesus Christ
- Participate in the local body of Christ, the Church
- Study the Bible, pray, and serve faithfully
- Read deeply and charitably; reason truthfully and rigorously; debate passionately and graciously
- Speak and write with wisdom and conviction
- Engage creation with wonder that awakens creativity and the pursuit of the Good, True, and Beautiful
- Practice the virtues of courage, integrity, compassion, and perseverance
- Love and serve Christ the King, proclaiming the gospel and serving one’s neighbor wherever God calls
To this end, our Director of Student Life, Miranda Quinn, leads a student leadership course elective in our Upper School. The course description states,
“Student Leadership is a course that equips and mobilizes students to develop as leaders of Clapham School and beyond. The goal of a student leader is to inspire and encourage one another to live with conviction, strive for excellence, and think biblically, all in the name of service to Jesus Christ. Student leaders help fulfill this vision through serving their classmates and contributing to a joyful and dynamic school community. As some of the oldest students in the school, Upper School student leaders are strategically positioned to model and inspire the school to cultivate goodness, truth, and beauty in the world.”
Student leaders at Clapham coordinate events like the fall ball, winter masquerade ball, fall feast, spring ceili, and house tournament, creating memorable experiences for the entire Secondary School. In this latest episode of the Clapham podcast, Mrs. Quinn’s spring 2026 Student Leadership class discuss their favorite memories and events of the year and their biggest takeaways regarding growing in leadership. Listen in to hear in their own words what our students have learned about leadership during their time at Clapham.
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In their final exams, the students had the opportunity to reflect on the year and the leadership principles they studied in class. In their long-form response, they addressed the prompt: “How do you cultivate habits of a servant leader?” Encouraged to interact with their texts from the year, they engaged with the big ideas and habits around leadership. A few excerpts from their essays follow:
Recent graduate Tia Labib"Cultivating habits of a servant leader is done through dedicating intentional time. It is a process; not something that happens overnight... Our leadership muscles don't appear randomly. They need intentional time and dedication."
Clapham graduate Taline Labib"A servant leader is a follower of God who the Lord calls to serve as a leader. They are not necessarily the best, the strongest, or the most advanced. They are simply those who answered the call. Moses, Gideon, David. These three men were by no means the most impressive. Moses had a stutter and was a murderer. Gideon was from the weakest tribe of Israel and had to be convinced to fight. David was the smallest of his brothers, but God chose them to be leaders. They led the Israelites of out Egypt, charged into battle, and defeated giants. That is a servant leader. When we answer the call and say yes, as these men did, God equips us with the skills we need."
Clapham student Lucy Sanders"I want to continue seeking to listen for what others' ideas are. I want to help others find their calling and flourish in it. I want to have a heart for service, one that truly believes that to be last is to be first."
Graduate Josie Etzel"We must remember that we are people leading fellow people. We must cultivate the habits of humility and patience when we receive feedback from our peers, for example. While they may not have the full picture of backstory behind a decision, they still have a voice and a vision that must be heard. Organization is an integral habit too-- and one I am very much still learning. There are so many moving parts to being a leader and accomplishing tasks, so having a set system to keep track of everything is crucial. And while this is less of a habit and more of a trait, vulnerability is something that often gets missed in leadership. Letting people observe your humanity is integral to building relationships both with your fellow leaders and those whom you lead."
As we say farewell to our recent batch of graduates, we’re confident “[H]e who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). We look forward to following their futures as servant leaders dedicated to following the model of Jesus. And we look forward to the next generation of Clapham student leaders taking up the mantle of servant leadership for the 2026-2027 school year!
