The 2007-2008 Leadership Bedford recently held its graduation ceremnoy. From left, front row, are: Amanda Smith, Amy Shoemaker, Greta Walden, April Stout, and Marsha Howard. Back row: Karl Thompson, David McGee, Daryl O'Neal, Mike Winton, Cindi Loso and Hugh Jones. Not pictured is Michael Hix. (Photo by Ronda Clanton)

Leadership Bedford graduated another successful class May 20 with a banquet at River Bend Country Club.

The class of 2007-08 includes Michael Hix, Marsha Howard, Hugh Jones, Cindi Loso, David McGee, Daryl O'Neal, Amy Shoemaker, Amanda Smith, April Stout, Karl Thompson, Greta Walden and Mike Winton.

Leadership Bedford's mission is "to develop local leaders by equipping them with leadership skills, to provide information on community issues so that the community can progress, and evoke community action based on the presentation of these issues."

Every year, the leadership members choose a program or project they research, design, develop, and when possible, implement. This year, that project included renovations of the Bedford County Pre-K classroom and a Bedford County job-shadowing program.

"This class has a strong commitment, sincere," said Tonya Davis, a board member of Leadership Bedford. "They have great leadership skills and have shown true teamwork in shaping the future.

The Pre-K project was the result of recent mandates handed down by the state of Tennessee, which requires all systems to offer, and eventually expand, a pre-kindergarten program. It is being offered to all residents of Bedford County with 4-year-old children. While the county board of education is looking specifically at children from Southside, East Side and Eakin schools, students from Liberty, Cascade and Community will be enrolled as well.

Classes should be beginning in mid-October, but renovations and remodeling were needed to the three portable buildings in which the classes will be held, as well as the surrounding area.

"We helped with the playground," said Daryl O'Neal, one of this year's class. "We set up some playground equipment and built a storage shed."

Leadership Bedford is not so much about doing volunteer work in the community, he said, as it is seeing why volunteer work in the community is so important -- then doing it. Besides projects, the Leadership members were required to attend a "class" a month, as well as local government meetings. Some of those classes included touring the Walking Horse Museum and studying art through the Bedford County Arts Council.

Other requirements for graduation included attending a city council or county commission meeting; attending a school board meeting or touring a school-age child care program; going to court or taking a ride with law enforcement; attending a chamber of Commerce business program; and, of course, volunteering.

Members of Leadership Bedford get 'points' for participating in or coordinating community benefit projects such as planting trees or recycling. Other ways to earn points were organizing a community watch, accepting a leadership position with a civic or community group and attending a Bedford County Medical Center-sponsored awareness program.

This year, Marsha Howard achieved the most points out of her class.

O'Neal found the class days beneficial.

"Seeing the different aspects of the community was important," he said, adding that the last day, when the class learned about social services, was the most educational for him.

"It shows just how important it is to volunteer in your community," said O'Neal.

He found the months spent in the program educational and inspirational.

"I learned more from the government side, attending council meetings," said O'Neal. "It drives you to do more and get more involved with the community."

In fact, he said, he plans to continue that involvement by serving on the Leadership Bedford board of directors next year.

He's not the only one. At least four others have volunteered to keep working with Leadersip Bedford next year, working on a proposed subcommittee involving the job-shadowing project proposed by Hugh Jones and developed by Amy Shoemaker.

"She really picked up the ball on it," said Jones. "She did a great job."

The program focused on Bedford County juniors who would fill out forms indicating their career interests. Teachers and guidance counselors would match students with hosting employers and arrange a day of job-shadowing, during which the employer would be available to explain careers and answer students' questions.

"We're going to fine-tune it this summer," said Jones. He said they would be developing communications more between the schools, guidance counselors, students and job-shadowing hosts.

"We did complete the trial run this year," said Shoemaker. "It went very well. We had about seven kids go through. The Leadership board has agreed to start a subcommittee to keep the job shadowing -- this is going to keep moving forward."

Shoemaker, like O'Neal, learned more about local government than she expected.

"So much -- I don't even know where to begin," she said. "I learned a lot about our city and county government, how they work, and the leaders in our group, coming together. Everybody worked so well together to get two projects done -- that was a pretty incredible feat."