The ballroom at the Hilton Hawaiian Village buzzed with energy as more than 650 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders filled the space. They had traveled to Honolulu from across the state—some even flying in that morning from neighboring islands—for the second annual Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) Middle Level Student Leadership Summit. Designed “by and for” middle school students, the day offered these young leaders the chance to choose from 30 peer-led breakout sessions, or “learning spaces,” showcasing what leadership looks like in their schools.
Dr. Sandy Cameli, a HIDOE Education Specialist who has organized the Summit for the past two years, says the event aims not only to empower students as leaders but also to foster connections across schools, inspiring them to bring new ideas back home. “There’s often an emphasis on leadership in high school, but I don’t think people fully trust or understand the power of middle schoolers. When we elevate their voices and give them choices, they shine—and that’s exactly what’s happening here,” she explains. “It builds their confidence and strengthens their bonds with one another.”
Students applied to present on any aspect of leadership from their schools, resulting in a diverse range of topics. A small sample includes:
- A Day in the Life of Kohala Middle Students
- Design Thinking & AI to Revolutionize Your Financial Future
- From Advisory to SAC: Celebrating Success Together
- Transition: Change Is Good
- Student Leaders: How Can We Stop Bullying?
- Game On: Intramurals at Hilo Intermediate School
Dr. Cameli notes that this variety underscores the many forms leadership can take. “We’ve made it clear to students that you don’t have to be an elected leader to lead,” she says. “So many are leading through clubs, creativity, or innovation.”
The Summit’s success owes much to the support of HIDOE’s Superintendent, Keith Hayashi, who has prioritized both middle-level education and student voice. “I want to create leader-full schools where every student feels empowered to lead,” he told the students at the event’s start. “That can look different for everyone. Being a leader can be as simple as ensuring everyone feels included. We want to take care of each other.”
While not every state has the resources or leadership to host such an event, Dr. Cameli believes every school can start small. “Reach out to a neighboring school,” she suggests. “It could be as simple as inviting ten of their students to talk and share ideas.” Ultimately, it’s about ensuring students have a seat at the table. “We can’t provide the best opportunities if we don’t include them in the decision-making.”
Implementing a Statewide Student Leadership Summit: A Case Study in Middle Grades Student Voice
To help other schools, districts, and states replicate similar events, we asked Dr. Cameli to outline the project and share lessons learned.
Setting the Stage for the MLSL Summit
At the start of the 2023–2024 school year, the producers of the film Waterman offered a free screening of the Duke Kahanamoku biopic to Hawaii’s middle and intermediate schools. The initiative aimed to spark passion for Duke’s legacy among sixth through eighth graders, cementing his role as the Aloha Ambassador for a new generation. Over 12,000 students watched the film in August 2023. Inspired by Duke’s life, the motto “Lead Like Duke” gained momentum, laying the groundwork for future student leadership experiences.
By October 2023, teachers and advisors statewide began sharing stories and student work inspired by the screening. A key question emerged: “How can we connect students across the state to share their leadership examples in a way that honors Duke and sustains his message?” Educators agreed that any event must be “by students, for students” to resonate with middle graders eager to be heard. Thus, planning for the inaugural Middle Level Student Leadership (MLSL) Summit began.
In spring 2024, Hawaii educators and student advocates hosted the first HIDOE MLSL Summit, embodying the “by students, for students” ethos. The statewide event fostered networking and amplified student voices, showcasing diverse leadership—both formal and informal—across urban, rural, and multilevel settings. Replacing the traditional term “breakout sessions” with “leading spaces,” the Summit emphasized collaboration and connection. Topics ranged from media and digital teams to school ambassadors, interest-based clubs, community partnerships, athletics, e-sports, STEM, and transition support for students moving from elementary to middle school or middle to high school.
Building on the inaugural event’s success, planning for the second Summit began immediately. Guided by student feedback, it featured more opportunities for networking across schools and islands, along with additional student-led presentations.
Planning and Preparation
Planning posed challenges like funding, venue selection, and scheduling across schools, but the “what” and “who” were clear. To truly empower students, organizers flipped the script: Middle schoolers were asked what activities and speakers would inspire them as leaders and amplify their voices. Their feedback shaped the event:
- All middle and intermediate schools should be invited to send a team to participate; Oahu schools shouldn’t get more spaces than neighbor-island schools. (Oahu is the most populated island, with the state capital in Honolulu, and hosts the most resources. This imbalance can leave students from outer-island schools feeling excluded from opportunities available to their Oahu peers.)
- Student leaders from any middle or intermediate school can submit proposals to present. Presenters don’t have to be elected by peers to be a representative from their school. (Student government/student council leaders should not be the only types of student leaders to be recognized at the event.)
- It is important to have time to connect with schools in our complex areas to see how we can partner on community projects. (In Hawai‘i, public schools are arranged by complex areas, rather than districts, and are typically clustered by geographical locations.)
- “Lead like Duke” should be the theme of the event to support the life and legacy of Duke Kahanamoku as our role model.
- There should be time to think and talk about the new things we learned—we shouldn’t just end the day by immediately getting back on the bus.
- It should not feel like a regular school day.
The last suggestion was the loudest and most powerful statement. Students were imploring the adults—who held the purse strings and controlled the logistics—to “hear” what was being asked in order to make this event relevant to students’ needs and growth as leaders.
Tools and Talking Points
Pitching the idea of presenting a 45-minute “leading spaces” session at a statewide summit for 11- to 14-year-olds sounds doable—until you take a moment to think about the reality of the situation: How can my students hold the attention of unknown peers for the equivalent of a whole class period when they can barely stay engaged in my own class? Do they truly understand the concept of leadership well enough to share it with others? Are their public speaking skills polished enough? Will other students be interested in what my students share about our school? What if they change their minds and withdraw from presenting?
Yes, every one of those questions came up. However, a team of passionate and purposeful middle level advocates believed that if given the opportunity, sixth through eighth grade student leaders would rise to the occasion and successfully facilitate discussions and activities for their peers. By proactively addressing each concern, this powerful learning experience could become a stepping stone for growth and a model for elevating student voice.
To equip the student presenters for success, a number of tools were introduced to guide their preparation:
- Proposal process: The proposal process for leading spaces sessions was designed to be open and inclusive. Every school had the opportunity to submit a proposal for a 45-minute presentation. These sessions could highlight the work of student government, technology and media clubs, visual and performing arts groups, partnerships with community organizations, after-school clubs, student publications, or any group of students making a positive contribution to their school environment. To ensure a smooth flow and adequate time for attendees, presentation teams were limited to a maximum of four student presenters.
- Preparation process: Once a proposal was selected, student leaders received a comprehensive template to structure their 45-minute “Leading Spaces” session. This template divided the time into four key segments, guiding students on how to pace their presentation:
- Opening/Introductions (8–10 minutes): This segment included individual introductions, an overview of their school campus, and a snapshot of their school’s unique identity.
- Topic Presentation (20 minutes): The focus here was on the proposed topic, including demonstrations of leadership experiences, opportunities or skills. Additionally, this segment encouraged engagement through activities designed to lead the audience in an interactive experience.
- Reflection Time (8–10 minutes): This time allowed attendees to reflect on the new learning and insights shared by the presentation team. Students were provided with a reflection booklet to record their thoughts and ideas on progressing as student leaders.
- Q&A Time (6–8 minutes): The final section invited the audience to delve deeper by asking questions and further exploring the topic with the presentation team.
- Prep Sessions for Presentation Teams: “Connect and Collaborate”: These virtual after-school sessions familiarized student presenters with the venue, presentation room locations, and available resources and devices, while also giving presenters the opportunity to network with fellow presenters from other schools before the event.
- Day of the Event Support: Student presenters received custom name badges with prominent “Presenter” ribbons, along with personalized letters of appreciation from an Assistant Superintendent. Presentation teams were further recognized by the student MCs of the event, receiving a standing ovation from the appreciative audience. Additionally, student attendees grouped by their complex areas were able to successfully network and collaborate with peers from neighboring schools as they discussed community issues and identified next steps for future engagement opportunities. By the end of the day, student leaders successfully modeled the “by students, for students” mission simply by being who they authentically were: empowered, self-directed learning leaders at the middle level.
Summit Recap and Reflections
Growing from 500 to more than 650 students in just a year, the impact has been profound as the summit has become a pivotal moment for sixth through eighth grade school ambassadors. Students weren’t merely “engaged”; they were passionate as they explored topics like student-led publications, environmental stewardship, equity-informed opportunities, and technology-based learning spaces during interactive workshops. Post-event surveys yielded overwhelmingly positive comments, confirming that students valued the experience and felt empowered to return to their schools and implement positive changes.
Feedback from student attendees included:
- 90% agreed/strongly agreed that “Lead Like Duke” was a good theme to help sixth through eighth graders become effective student leaders.
- 95% agreed/strongly agreed that participating in “leading spaces” (breakout sessions led by peers) helped participants feel more confident as student leaders on their own campuses.
- 90% agreed/strongly agreed that they would attend the event again, and would encourage their peers to attend.
- 78% agreed/strongly agreed that the event encouraged them to consider serving as a student presenter at the next student leadership event.
The summit served as a powerful reminder that student leadership is crucial for elevating young voices. The event’s success wasn’t about the venue, the speakers or the swag. It wasn’t even about how loud the school-pride chants were, or how bright the rainbow of colors worn to complement the campus mascots and event theme. The success of the event was in providing an opportunity to showcase student leadership. This mission-driven experience was built entirely by students, for students. It exceeded expectations in that sixth through eighth graders shared unbridled enthusiasm for their learning journeys through passionate and purposeful presentations and the ability to network with like-minded innovators from the same generation. They were invited to shine, and shine they did.
Elevating student voice transcends passive participation. It empowers students to:
- Become agents of change: Students can use their voices to advocate for themselves, their peers or causes they care about.
- Develop leadership skills: Students learn to articulate their ideas persuasively, collaborate effectively, and navigate challenges to achieve their goals.
- Make a difference: By elevating their voices, students can influence their learning environments, school communities, and even the world beyond.
Applications for Your Setting
Dr. Cameli understands that a state-wide student summit isn’t feasible everywhere. So, how does an individual school or district elevate student voice and student leadership when faced with funding, venue, or stakeholder limitations? Some innovative and original ideas have been successfully employed to support middle grades learners through scalable “by students, for students” opportunities:
- Themed Spirit Week: Students can brainstorm and lead a spirit week around a theme of their choosing (i.e., environmental awareness, school pride, healthy lifestyles). They can develop activities, design decorations and even lead school announcements during the week.
- Student-Led Professional Development (PD) Day: Teachers can partner with student leaders to organize a PD day focused on topics like classroom technology, fostering student voice or understanding student needs. Student leaders can co-present with teachers, share their perspectives, and lead breakout sessions geared toward educators.
- Student-Run After-School Clubs: Encourage students to propose and launch their own after-school clubs based on their interests. Provide support in terms of room bookings, materials and basic guidance, but empower the students themselves to lead the club activities, recruit members and create a welcoming environment for their peers.
- Student-Organized Assemblies: Host assemblies where student groups can showcase their talents or raise awareness of issues they care about. This could involve presentations, performances (e.g., drama, music, dance), or educational skits focused on topics like bullying prevention, healthy relationships or cultural diversity.
- Student-Driven Community Service Projects: Learners can research and identify local needs, then develop and lead a student-driven community service project. This could involve organizing a food drive, cleaning up a local park or volunteering at a shelter.
- Student-Led Peer Mentoring Program: Train a group of responsible upperclassmen to mentor younger students. Mentor–mentee pairs can create activities, plan workshops or simply provide a friendly face and support system for younger students joining and navigating the middle school experience.
If you do choose to adapt the MLSL Summit model to your setting, consider the following in your planning:
- Focus on Grade Level: Instead of a statewide event, create a “by students, for students” experience for a single grade level (sixth, seventh or eighth). This allows for a more focused event with presentations and activities tailored to that specific age group.
- Virtual or Hybrid Option: Consider a virtual or hybrid event, allowing students from different classrooms or even different schools to participate remotely. This can expand participation and connect students who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to interact.
- Shorter Format: Instead of a full-day summit, plan a half-day session (or even one lasting just a couple of hours) showcasing student leadership and talent. This is a more manageable option for smaller schools with limited resources.
- Student Choice: The key is to give students ownership and choice in the planning process. Let them brainstorm ideas, vote on topics and take the lead in organizing the event.
- Faculty Support: Provide guidance and support for student leaders as they plan and execute the event. Teachers can offer mentorship, logistical assistance and help navigating any challenges that may arise.
- Celebration: Recognize and celebrate the efforts of student leaders. This can be done by making public announcements, awarding certificates or simply acknowledging their hard work and how they have helped others.
By incorporating these suggestions, schools can create a “by students, for students” experience that is both meaningful and scalable, fostering student voice and leadership within their own communities.
The above case study is also featured in AMLE’s companion text authored by Dr. Cameli, Successful Middle School Student Voice, available in the AMLE Store.