By Angie Huntington
Room 11, Freese Elementary, San Diego, CA
I teach at Freese Elementary in San Diego, CA, an Arts and Culture Museum Magnet School. When I first started, I had the same question that many people do: What exactly does it mean to be a museum school, especially for my second graders? How was I supposed to help them understand our unique magnet theme when I was still figuring it out myself?
To add to that, we’re also a Leader in Me school, which emphasizes leadership and personal growth through teaching habits of success. But I kept wrestling with a key question: How could I connect the Leader in Me philosophy with our magnet theme in a way that felt cohesive, rather than like two separate programs running parallel to each other?
That’s why I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to attend the Magnet Schools of America (MSA) National Conference in New York this past April. It was a turning point for me, as I began to see how these two important components—our magnet focus and the Leader in Me initiative—could complement each other beautifully.
One of the highlights of the trip was visiting The Williamsburg Bridge Magnet School in Brooklyn. From the moment I walked through the doors, I was greeted by students who radiated leadership and pride in their school. As a Leader in Me school, just like ours, it was inspiring to see how seamlessly leadership was woven into every part of the student experience. I’m deeply passionate about both Leader in Me and integrating technology into the classroom, so it was exciting to see students creating their own projects, including using QR codes to share their voices with the world. Instantly, I thought, “My kids could do this!”
The more time I spent observing, the more it all started to click. Leadership wasn’t an add-on or an extra program; it was embedded in everything the students did. I finally understood the connection between our magnet theme and Leader in Me. These students were living proof that when leadership is part of the fabric of the school’s identity, it can enhance everything—especially creative and cultural initiatives like ours.
“Our students aren’t just learning—they’re leading, creating, and making meaningful connections between their education and the wider world.”
When I returned to San Diego, I couldn’t wait to share what I’d learned with my students. The timing was perfect—our Open House was the following week, and the second-grade theme for our museum was “wishes.” My class had painted wish rocks, and I recorded each student talking about their wish for the world using Flip. Inspired by what I saw in Brooklyn, my co-teacher and I printed out QR codes for each student, which we placed on paper rocks and displayed in the windows. When parents scanned the codes, they could watch their children express their hopes and dreams. It was a hit! The parents absolutely loved it, and it gave our students an opportunity to lead, share their creativity, and connect with their families in a meaningful way.
Since then, my students have been on a creative roll, developing their own games on Scratch as part of a project for our upcoming Farmers Market. This idea came from one of the sessions I attended on virtual reality (VR), though we’ve had to get creative without access to VR headsets. Still, the innovation and leadership spirit is there, and we’re making it work!
Looking back, attending the magnet conference was an eye-opening experience. It not only helped me understand our school’s museum theme better, but it also showed me how the Leader in Me framework could be seamlessly integrated into everything we do. Our students aren’t just learning—they’re leading, creating, and making meaningful connections between their education and the wider world. It’s a journey I’m grateful to be on, and I’m excited to see where it takes us next!
Raise the level of performance consistent throughout school districts nationwide and creates a platform from which all magnet schools can flourish. Magnet Schools of America’s national certification process is designed to recognize the hard work of the best magnet schools in the nation and to help them as they grow.