Leadership Learning

Culver Girls Academy

Young women entering Culver Girls Academy begin their leadership learning experience within the dorms under the prefect system. The prefect system was derived from the prefectorial concept of student government traditionally found in the public schools of Great Britain and many college preparatory schools in this country.

The CGA Prefect System incorporates a committee structure that parallels democratic government organizations to provide girls with many opportunities to exercise their voice and practice leadership skills. Upon entering Culver, new students begin their learning as dorm residents under the leadership of dorm prefects. Upon successfully completing the Living, Learning, Leading (ninth graders) or Orientation to Culver course (new 10th, 11th, 12th graders) and the requirements outlined in the CGA Crest Book, all new students who maintain positive citizenship standards are awarded their CGA Crests. The Crest is a symbol of their readiness for further leadership training within the system.

As sophomores and juniors, girls demonstrate their understanding of followership and responsible citizenship. They will receive additional leadership training and experience an application and interview process which requires initiative and facilitates further self-reflection and knowledge. The training is developed and presented by the prefects and staff of Culver Girls Academy. With successful completion of training, students are appointed or elected for leadership positions within the prefect system. These positions are rotated throughout the school year to provide as broad a learning experience as possible. The leaders are mentored and evaluated by fellow prefects and Culver faculty and staff.

As their Culver experience continues, young women assume leadership roles involving increasing responsibility. In their senior year, leaders assume responsibilities that allow for effective functioning and training of all students within Culver Girls Academy. Every girl, participates in training  and continues to play an important role with the minimum expectation that she will contribute positively as a citizen within the dorm and the Culver community.

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Culver Military Academy

One of the aspects that has made the Culver experience unique in American secondary education is the Academies more than 120-year-old belief that leadership can be taught and learned. The academic courses offered by Culver’s Center for Leadership are designed to complement and support the experiential leadership education of students within both Culver Military Academy and Culver Girls Academy. The leadership model used as a vehicle to prepare young men for leadership roles is a military system, whereas the model used for young women is the prefect system. Each of these leadership systems is designed to meet the unique leadership needs and learning experiences required of all Culver students. 

Young men entering the Culver Military Academy Corps of Cadets begin their leadership training in an intensive program, grounded in the Cardinal Virtues and the Culver Values, which places a strong emphasis on self-discipline, honorable behavior, respect, attention to detail, responsibility, accountability, and followership.

During their first year, cadets participate in the New Cadet system. They are evaluated within their units on their followership performance as well as their future leadership potential.

The New Cadet experience culminates when the cadets pass their Branch Qualification Boards, an individual endeavor consisting of performance-oriented and knowledge-based assessments designed to certify they have learned the system’s fundamentals and are ready to progress to the next stage of their development as leaders.

Prerequisites for an invitation to participate in the Branch Qualification Boards include the successful completion of the Orientation to Culver course and completion of a military system course conducted by military mentors and the cadet chain of command.

After branch qualification, cadets are eligible to participate in the CMA leadership system as leaders. CMA uses multiple rotations among cadets – called “makes” – to provide developmental and growth opportunities for branch-qualified cadets.

As they mature within the military system, cadets assume greater levels of responsibility, including supervisory responsibility for the performance and training of younger cadets. Throughout the process, they are evaluated and mentored by their counselors, military mentors, and other staff members of the Culver staff and faculty. Cadets begin by leading teams composed of several other cadets and progress through the squad (multiple teams) and platoon (multiple squads) levels of leadership as they acquire additional knowledge about the Culver way and opportunities to put what they have learned into practice.

Special emphasis includes the areas of honorable conduct and respectful behavior of themselves and those they lead as they begin to appreciate that the “how” of leading matters as much as the “what” of their accomplishments. The practical leadership learning experience culminates during the first-class (or senior) year as cadets assume responsibility for leading the Corps and their peers at the unit (multiple platoons), battalion/squadron (multiple units), and regimental (multiple battalions/squadrons) levels.

This leadership experience is very real and reinforces the concepts first learned as new cadets. In addition, it incorporates the Cardinal Virtues of Wisdom, Courage, Moderation and Justice, along with the Culver Values of Duty, Honor, Service, and Truth into every aspect of their actions as leaders and members of the Culver community.

They are expected to lead by example and to be exemplars of the Culver system: responsible, honorable, and respectful citizens who are servant leaders of character.

These experiences provide CMA cadets with experiences unique in secondary education and far beyond anything available to young men prior to their final years in college.

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