By: Peyton Lawson

Global Leadership Seminar, or GLS, is a class unique to Heritage. If you don’t take it before you graduate, you’re missing out on an incredible educational opportunity– as well as an awesome time.

NO Tests, Quizzes, or Essays

In GLS, you never have to stress for hours about getting that test grade. All grades come from your progress.

You control your learning

Often times, the students design the details of the curriculum. Nothing is set in stone is GLS. You are given opportunities to follow any passion you have about the world.

You get to work in groups

I would estimate that almost 4 out of 5 classes are spent working in groups. By the end of the semester, you know everyone in your class. Really, it’s like a family.

Your grade only goes up, never down

At the beginning of the semester, you are given a list of standards that measure your learning in the areas of creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, credibility, creation, and cultural awareness. Throughout the class, you prove that you have mastered each standard. Each standard is worth two points of your grade. Once you get the standard, you can’t lose it so your grade starts low and climbs. Standards are worth 50% of your grade. The other 50% comes from completion grades and participation. If you try your best, and participate, you will get an A.

You learn about real life

Topics covered in GLS are real life issues with real life impacts. A few examples of topics are human trafficking, the global market, tropical diseases, global poverty, global education, and sustainability or resources.

There is no final exam; the grade comes from a service-learning project of your own design

Unlike almost every other class at the school, GLS gives you the opportunity to design a final project that promotes service and learning. It can be ANYTHING. Students have run campaigns, sold bracelets for charity, donated their time to an organization, or even just educated people on an issue.

You make real impacts

Throughout the class, you are given the opportunity to impact real people. Aside from your final service-learning project, you work on a class project on a common issue. For example, my semester’s class ran an environmental awareness week and a human trafficking awareness week that spread across the school.

Switch your schedule or sign up next year. You won’t regret signing up for Global Leadership Seminar.