Steel Valley High School Student Council Kicks Off Chick-fil-A Leader Academy 2025-26 Programming

During the 2025-2026 school year, Chick-fil-A Leader Academy™ will be partnering with Steel Valley High School to provide curriculum opportunities that teach students important leadership skills to help make a difference in their community.

Twenty students were selected to participate in the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, a national high school leadership program empowering students to make an Impact Through Action. Through the curriculum, students learn timeless leadership principles like teamwork, communication and innovation by engaging in “Leader Labs.” These principles are put into practice when the students plan and execute an Impact Project benefiting their local community. The students don’t just learn about leadership in the classroom, they live it out by serving and making an impact.

The kick-off meeting took place on September 3 when Waterfront Chick-fil-A restaurant operator Michael Osborne and human resources representative Brittany Allen visited the high school to meet the students, bring them lunch, and explain more about the program. Sponsors Shawn and Beth McCallister shared some background on why student leadership matters and detailed how the students will be making an impact over the next few months.

The students will serve as school ambassadors and mentors through various programs and initiatives, including through existing partnerships and events with the Best of the Batch Foundation and the Special Olympics. They’ll also create new ways in which to make an impact in the school and community. Their work began Wednesday morning as the students wrote positive notes to Steel Valley elementary students and then packaged those notes with a collection of books that will be delivered to the elementary schools. The books were donated by Chick-fil-A as part of the Million Book Giveaway project.

Since the inception of Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, over 265,000 students have participated, positively impacting over 3 million people in local communities across the country. This is the second year that Steel Valley High School has been a participant. The program is fully funded through generous sponsorships from local Chick-fil-A Owner-Operators, Chick-fil-A, Inc. and Coca-Cola.

To learn more about Chick-fil-A Leader Academy visit www.chickfilaleaderacademy.com.