Male Leadership Symposium
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DESOTO ISD MALE LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM SATURDAY, APRIL 21 - 8A-2P DESOTO HIGH SCHOOL 600 EAGLE DR. - DESOTO, TX IF I RULED THE WORLD: GLOBALIZING OPPORTUNITIES #DESOTOMLS2018 WWW.DESOTOISD.ORG WHAT IS THE DESOTO ISD MALE LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM? The DeSoto ISD Male Leadership Symposium is the premier leadership development program in the Metroplex for young men. It is an extraordinary event designed to empower, energize, and educate one of the world’s greatest assets, young men, which are often squandered because of real, involuntary, and sometimes self-imposed barriers. Our goal is to provide relevant experiences for young men that will ensure success academically, professionally and socially through role model engagement, career exposure, and leadership development so they can achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. One never knows what alters a path for a child! It could be a word of praise, a trag- edy, or any life experience. We believe our children deserve exposure to as many of these types of life-altering experiences as possible. CABINET Dr. Larry Watson – Interim Superintendent Dr. Gabrielle Lemonier – Associate Superintendent Levatta Levels – Assistant Superintendent of Student Services and Secondary Schools Dr. Cheyrl Ensley – Assistant Superintendent of State and Federal Programs Dr. Michelle Howard-Schwind – Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Bobby LaBorde – Assistant Superintendent of Finance 2018 MALE LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM COMMITTEE Founder – Aubrey C. Hooper Dolores Bell Chair – Beth Trimble Monica Davis-Jones Rena Thomas Tiffanie Blackmon-Jones Cedric Ford H.D. Webb, III Students: Col. Russell Hooper Kristopher Ingram Brandon Ward Lyndon Marshall Gregory Primus Ricky Mathis Larry Davis DaiTrail Johnson Wilbert Andrews Marvin Mitchell Special thank you to all our presenters, volunteers and supporters. 972-223-6666 www.desotoisd.org 2018 MALE LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM AGENDA 7:45-8:45 a.m. Breakfast, Registration and Check-In 8-8:45 a.m. Athletic Pre-Symposium in the Main Cafeteria 9 a.m. DHS Academy Cafeteria - Emcee Tim Jackson Welcome, Presentation of Colors Invocation by Rev. Oscar Epps, Community Missionary Baptist Greetings - DeSoto Mayor, Board of Trustees and DeSoto ISD Special Guest - Denver Bronco Von Miller, Super Bowl 50 MVP 9:30 a.m. Fashion Show - RISE Clothing - Tim & Terrence Maiden 10 a.m. WORKSHOP A - Classrooms 11 a.m. WORKSHOP B - Classrooms 12 p.m. BREAKOUT LUNCHEONS Academy Cafe - DHS Students - Mark Anthony Green, GQ DHS Main Cafeteria - MS Students - Wendell Holland, Survivor DHS FC Cafeteria - Student Athletes PANELISTS: Patrick Crayton - Alum, former NFL Dallas Cowboy Caylin Moore - Athlete, Rhodes Scholar Stephen Howard - Former NBA, ESPN - now at UNTDtv Jean-Jacques Taylor - Journalist, NBC5 & ESPN Dennis Conner - Strength coach and sports management Darrell Devaul - Social media and athletics 1 p.m. DHS Auditorium - Emcee Tim Jackson Presentation of Young Men of the Year Awards KEYNOTE SPEAKER - KIRK FRANKLIN: Gospel Singer 1:45 p.m. Closing Session Door Prizes SPONSOR: April 21, 2018 Welcome to the 4th annual DeSoto ISD Male Leadership Symposium. We hope that the topics discussed today help facilitate sound decisions and a greater level of self-awareness in the days to come. My address is typically lengthy and I realize that in many cases letters like these don’t speak to its intended audience. More often than not, these letters are eloquent words on paper, but they fail to respect the audience and the way they receive information best. So this year, I will be direct and to the point. Now, more than ever, we need you to step up. We need you, young men to get better day by day because your dreams need you to be at your best. If you want to be a professional athlete go for it. You can do it! But know this, you won’t be one of the 2% who make it if you aren’t the best you can be. Do you want to be a doctor? Great, you can do it! But you won’t be successful if you don’t work hard to learn and do all that it requires. What are you prepared to do to make your dreams a reality? The world’s population is growing, but the world itself is shrinking. Twenty years ago the kid from random rural town USA had no chance, but today they do. What are you doing to make sure you are better than them? If you are a leader at your school, in your community, in your family that’s great! We celebrate you but don’t get complacent because every school, community, and family has a leader. How do you become the leader other leaders consult with? If you are not a leader now get in the game and figure this leadership thing out. The world is not going to wait for you to wake up. The world is going to throw you to the wolves where only the strong survive, and the world won’t save you when times get hard. Listen to the advice and guidance that the presenters have for you today. They have been there and done that, and they are here to show you the ropes. Step up and lead. We need you NOW, more than ever. Carl Sherman, Jr. President DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees Dear Symposium Participants: If I Ruled the World, Greatness would be the personal standard for all citizens. 2018 is a year of being intentional in our greatness and following through to win. In a time when the nation has engaged in a politically unconstructive dialogue about “Black lives matter, Hispanic lives matter, Our lives matter, and All lives matter,” we have taken a proactive and deliberate approach to provide life-changing experiences to the lives of all of our students, with special emphasis on addressing the areas of opportunity with our male population. We refuse to set low expectations for the young men of our community because we know to do so is a sin. During this symposium, we expect to ignite a flame within our students that will inspire them to become global problem solvers and world leaders. The theme for the 2018 conference is If I Ruled the World: Globalizing Opportunities. With societal issues mounting, the approach we take in response has never required more attention. Across the nation, we have witnessed the power of unified groups fighting for change, and we know our students possess the power to do the same. This theme is a charge to take a stance by changing the narrative. The journey to being great begins on a sometimes uncommon path. It requires an unrelenting desire to be better and a willingness to stand against the popular, for the sake of greatness. It is our belief that every experience matters and has the potential to change the trajectory of someone’s life. We understand that “character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones,” and through this Male Leadership Symposium we want to plant aspirational seeds in our young male students’ lives that will influence their decision to reach Greatness regardless of how uncommon it might seem. We have invited celebrity personalities such as Gospel artist Kirk Franklin, GQ Style Guy Mark Anthony Green and Survivor Wendell Holland to share their courageous journeys to greatness, but furthermore, to highlight that the path to greatness never ceases. In addition, we are honored to have alumni superstar athletes – former NFL Dallas Cowboys player Patrick Clayton here to share his story of perseverance, adversity, and courageous leadership. During this symposium, we will hear from subject matter authorities and experts in the areas of STEM, Business, Public Service, the Arts, and entertainment. It is indeed a pleasure to have you join us for this 4th Annual DeSoto ISD Male Leadership Symposium and we appreciate your willingness to accept the challenge to start your journey to Greatness. Through meaningful dialogue and thought-provoking discourse, we can all begin our paths of Globalizing Opportunities that will lead to Greatness. It is our hope that through this symposium, our participants are challenged and inspired to strive for professional, personal, and academic growth. Again, welcome to this year’s symposium and let greatness not skip this generation. Be Great, Aubrey C. Hooper Trustee, DeSoto ISD Board of Trustees Founder, DeSoto ISD Male Leadership Symposium Office of the Mayor Curtistene S. McCowan City of DeSoto, Texas GREETINGS FROM THE MAYOR On behalf of the City of DeSoto, the DeSoto City Council and all of its citizens, it is my pleasure to welcome the attendees to the 4th Annual DeSoto ISD Male Leadership Symposium, featuring a cadre of distinguished speakers! This extraordinary event is designed with you in mind to help you excel academically, professionally and socially and to provide you “with tools to be the next generation of courageous leaders.” The goal is to uplift, empower, energize, educate and inspire you to go out and make a difference in the world. I am proud to be the Mayor of an All-America City where all stakeholders work collaboratively to help our students achieve their academic, extra-curricular and career goals. Thank you for choosing to attend the 4th Annual DeSoto ISD Male Leadership Symposium, and I ask that you stay engaged and help us continue to shape our future. Sincerely, Curtistene S. McCowan Mayor April 6, 2018 Dear Male Leadership Symposium Attendees: Best Wishes from Senatorial District 23! It is once again that time … Male Leadership Symposium time, a time when young men, from our community, are exposed to workshops, seminars, speakers and experiences that will change their lives. We commemorate the Fourth Annual Symposium which allows the community to embrace our sons and collectively prepare them for their accomplishments, triumphs and future aspirations.