Photo by Shanee Frazier
Columbia High School teacher Abiodun Banner, far left, stands with the young women of Ladies of Leadership at their first awards ceremony on June 25.
MAPLEWOOD\SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Self-confidence and sisterhood took center stage as the students of the Columbia High School organization Ladies of Leadership held their first awards ceremony and banquet Thursday, June 25, at the Heart Ballroom in Montclair.
The Ladies of Leadership is the brainchild of CHS math teacher Abiodun Banner, who also participated in some of the program’s performances. With the assistance of fellow CHS math teacher Joyce Leslie, Banner also presented each student with a certificate of participation and completion for their time and dedication during the program.
Opening with CHS junior Christine King’s pensive recitation of Marianne Williamson’s poem “Our Deepest Fear,” the evening featured performances ranging from energetic dance routines to musical duets. Friends, family and CHS teachers cheered and joined in the festivities as the young women showcased their talents throughout the evening.
The Ladies of Leadership program focuses on the personal and academic growth of young women in Columbia High School; the group meets twice each week during the regular school year. For an hour after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Banner and the students discussed various topics including college preparation, high school academic success, self-confidence and community service.
In a recent interview with the News-Record, Banner spoke about conceiving the idea for the club when she started her teaching career seven years ago in another school.
“I started teaching at a school that had no dress code and I noticed that the young women had no self-respect, they cursed often and dressed inappropriately,” she said. “I felt like they needed someone in the school to show them how to walk with respect and heads held high.”
Banner never forgot that dream of holding a school-based program geared toward teaching young women self-respect and academic achievement. She started Ladies of Leadership last fall, in the beginning of her second year at CHS.
Many of the students in the club were young women whom she had never taught but who heard of the organization through word of mouth and were eager to join.
“My main focus was on academics, academics, academics,” Banner said. “I wanted the students to not only succeed, but also learn how to figure out for themselves how to improve in the classroom.”
Each week the students in the club were given different tasks, sometimes academic and sometimes focused on personal growth.
“One week their task was to go speak with every teacher, regardless of if they were passing or failing the class,” Banner said. “I wanted them to begin learning how to self-advocate and start asking questions and look for help and resources without someone telling them.”
Because the majority of the organization’s members are juniors, Banner also felt it important to introduce the students to the realities of college readiness. Each student was asked what she intended to major in at college, and then the group spent time researching not only which school offered the desired programs, but also the cost of room and board at the school of choice. Banner then signed all the students up for a financial aid website and stressed the importance of finding scholarships and other forms of financial aid to defray the costs of attending college.
Although the main component of the organization was to improve academics and introduce new ways for classroom success, Banner realized that the club was also a perfect setting in which to encourage personal growth in her students.
“Some of the weekly tasks included the girls writing what they love about themselves and what they want to change. They had to do a month of self-reflection and see if they had made any changes,” Banner said. “Everything from being so flustered that a young woman says ‘IDK’ all the time to wanting to be more organized with the homework.”
Many of the students were enthusiastic about the obstacles the club helped them overcome personally and academically.
In an interview with the News-Record, junior Tiffany Motachwa said she joined Ladies of Leadership hoping to build self-confidence and join a true sisterhood.
“I’m now able to speak up more in classes and I don’t get nervous after presentations in front of people anymore,” she said. In fact, Motachwa began the evening’s program with an introduction.
Fellow junior Katrina Henrilus expressed similar sentiments in an interview with the News-Record, citing the group as a major source of encouragement for her. “When I joined the club, I hoped to get advice on how to be prepared for college and how to handle situations high school students often deal with, like bullying and how to get through classes successfully,” Henrilus said. “Now I have someone to talk to and give me advice because a lot of the time you feel like you are at your breaking point and now you have a sisterhood. I feel more prepared to handle those things.”
In addition to improving themselves, Banner also stressed the importance of engaging in activities to improve their school and local community.
During the school year, the club volunteered at the Community FoodBank of New Jersey in Hillside, held women’s toiletry and clothing drives, and teamed up with a Jersey City coalition to help the homeless by passing out clothing to the needy in Journal Square.
Now that her dream has come to fruition, Banner says that she is both proud of her students and amazed by all that she learned during the school year.
“I learned to be a lot more patient, dealing with more than 20 girls with so many different personalities, and I feel like a counselor and a relationship expert, and I was very strict,” Banner said. “At Columbia, I am known as being a really no-nonsense teacher, but they see my playful side. I learn how to be a role model while still having fun with them.”
Banner’s dedication to her students is evident; the club receives no funding from Columbia High School, so all costs are paid out-of-pocket by Banner and loyal friend Rehema Moke, who provided financial support for the banquet and also helped with food serving and set-up.
And just because the school year has ended does not mean Banner’s work has too. Although she will be teaching summer school courses, Banner will also be starting a summer SAT prep course, and holding group study sessions for the club members, many of whom will be entering their senior year in the fall.
“I truly want them to succeed; I love them like they are my own. I see that they have the potential, and I want to push it,” Banner said. “They can become ready by pushing together and working together. The more and more success you have, the more confidence you get.”