Summer Leadership Academy

The USCHS Leadership Academy is offered in four phases throughout a student's high school experience.

Phases I & II are one-week summer workshops offering students exposure to leadership concepts and practices. Students identify their leadership strengths and learn how these skills can be used to make them successful in all stages of life. Through experiential learning strategies, group projects, and hands-on activities, students experience the application of leadership skills, building confidence in their abilities and enhancing their capacity to serve in leadership roles. The Leadership Academy is open to all USCHS students.

Leadership Academy Phase III offers an exciting partnership with the University of Pittsburgh through the College in High School (CHS) program, featuring the Theories of Leadership course. This course introduces students to a wide range of leadership theories and practices, helping them deepen their understanding of effective leadership. Participants will refine their leadership philosophies and broaden their perspectives by collaborating with district staff, local leaders, and experienced mentors. The program follows a hybrid learning model, combining a weekly 3-hour in-person seminar led by a content expert with up to 5 hours of asynchronous work. This structure provides a balanced and flexible approach to exploring leadership concepts in depth. As a CHS course, Phase III of Leadership Academy will be graded on the USCHS weighted Honors scale and participants will receive both high school and, for a fee*, college credit based on course performance.

Phase IV of the Leadership Academy builds upon the foundational knowledge and skills developed in Phases I, II, and III, empowering students to take on active leadership roles as mentors and facilitators. In this capstone phase, high school students partner with teachers to design and lead programming for younger phases of the Leadership Academy, directly applying the leadership theories and practices they have studied. This program is designed to solidify participants’ leadership identities while fostering meaningful mentorship and collaboration opportunities.