BATH

Students from across the state assembled at Hyde School in Bath on Friday to take part in the annual Maine Youth Leadership Day.

With 77 schools participating, the Hyde campus hosted 1,400 students for the day, with sessions beginning at 9 in the morning. The day featured a keynote address from Sen. Angus King, 35 rotating workshops and a student panel.

King took the opportunity to talk about the leadership qualities displayed by Joshua Chamberlain, a professor turned war hero who eventually served as a governor of Maine. King has often spoken of Chamberlain. Like Chamberlain, King lives in Brunswick and has lectured at Bowdoin College, a class fittingly titled “Leaders and Leadership.”

In his remarks, King listed 10 leadership qualities that can be found in Chamberlain’s example, including vision, perseverance and communication.

“A leader has to be optimistic, positive. Napoleon said, a leader is a leader in hope. Churchill said, success consists of going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm,” said King. “You’ve got to communicate optimistically and decisively.

“If you ever want to see what character looks like, if you’re in Brunswick, go to the Bowdoin campus into the old library,” said King as he wrapped up his remarks. “There is a picture of Chamberlain. You can see it in his face: honesty, integrity, adherence to principle. Character is the final quality that really makes someone a leader.”

Following King’s speech, the students were separated into groups and took part in three of 35 rotating sessions led by students, faculty or outside presenters.

One presentation, led by Hyde students, called on the would-be leaders to know themselves, their weaknesses and strengths. Another session, led by faculty member Ken Grant, asked students what it is they wanted to do with their lives. With the use of pointed questions and powerful poetry, Grant pushed students to think critically about what they want to be as they grew up.

Sponsored by the Maine State Leadership Alliance at Hyde School, Friday’s event centered on the theme of “overcoming obstacles and embracing our challenges.” MSLA works to promote leadership development among Maine youth and operates a post-graduate leadership year at Hyde.

What it does

• THE MAINE State Leadership Alliance works to promote leadership development among Maine youth and operates a postgraduate leadership year at Hyde School in Bath.