From June 27 to July 7, students in the Warrior Leadership Academy traveled to London, Oxford, Normandy and Paris to experience Student Leadership University 301. The goal of our student leadership program is to give our students a decade head start on their peers across the world by the time they graduate high school. This group of rising juniors began SLU 301 by navigating London in the CCS version of The Amazing Race of London! Navigating a major European city via various means of public transportation as a 17-year-old is an amazing experience…and they did a great job, culminating in a meeting for dinner at the famous Dickens Inn at historic St Katherine’s Dock.
To begin the week, our students crossed the English Channel and had the privilege of visiting the hallowed grounds of the American Cemetery in Normandy, France. CCS students took part in a somber wreath-laying ceremony honoring our brave warriors who secured freedom for the West and beyond. On the same day, the group had lunch and heard a leadership lecture on Omaha Beach. Each participant was able to gather a small vial of sand off of the beach to take home to keep in remembrance of the day.
The following day was spent in Paris, where students had the opportunity to visit the Eifel Tower. While many rode an elevator to the top of the tower, a few brave students chose to take on the stairs and climb to the top of the tower. Additionally, they saw Rodin’s Sculpture Garden and had some time to contemplate all that Rodin was saying about God and God’s relationship with us through his artwork. There were also stops at Notre Dame, the Arc De Triomphe and an opportunity to shop on the Champs-Élysées.
Upon returning to London, students visited a variety of sites. This included attending a great lecture in John Wesley’s home church, which highlighted the leadership lessons from his life of awesome impact. The old chapel was classic and beautiful. They began with prayer and singing. They were also able to visit the final resting places of several giants of the faith, including Wesley, his brother Charles, their mother and John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress.
On Friday, students visited The Holy Trinity Church, the home church of C.S. Lewis. Students sat in the same beautiful wooden pews where Lewis and many other impactful Christian leaders spent Sunday after Sunday and had another opportunity to learn more about leadership and the steps they should take in continuing to grow into the young men and women God intends them to become.
Afterward, students spent time at the University of Oxford, where they were free to participate in any number of activities, attractions and lots of shopping. The differences in what students decided to do were broad, funny and a good testimony to the uniqueness of each and every person! Everyone hit the bus probably over-caffeinated yet exhausted!
The group finished the evening with a great meal, a leadership lecture and a graduation ceremony. The ceremony included a recognition of the completion of the SLU conference series and a time of prayer over the students. It was a beautiful culmination of a fantastic day.
