FAIRBURY - Borrowing from a curriculum initially designed for college students, a program started recently in Southeast Nebraska identifies middle schoolers with an aptitude for leadership, and teaches them skills to better not only themselves, but those around them. 

For the last four summers, a dozen students about to enter middle school in Jefferson County that have been identified for their leadership potential and ability to help others have joined forces in Fairbury for the Priceless Preteen program, a day-long class which helps them hone their own inherent abilities, and convert that knowledge into actions that benefit everyone else around them. 

“Research shows that it’s not adults who make a difference in school culture and community – it's kids influencing kids,” said Penny Holtmeier, a Nebraska 4-H Extension Assistant who adapted the program from a college curriculum to one tailored to middle schoolers. “So what we’re hoping to do is take the best of Jefferson County, those kids that have high leadership potential and a high capacity for human relations, and show them their talents. We want them to discover what their talents are, so that we can give them the tools to carry that talent to a strength, meaning they’re consistently using those talents to make a positive impact on their school and communities.” 

“We’ve all been selected because we have leadership qualities, and we’re just here to extend them, and make them better,” said Aubrey Roelfs, a rising eighth grader at Diller-Odell who was selected to participate in the program last year and returned to assist the program as a Junior TA this year. “We were all chosen by teachers, guidance counselors and parents, because they’ve seen that we have the ability to make differences in other peoples’ lives for the better, in a positive way. We’re just here to embrace that ability we have, and get to know each other, and collaborate, and think about what we can do better to make everyone better.” 

“Teachers have recognized some strengths and qualities in them that they can see developing into leadership strengths,” said Payton Smidt, a Tri County alum and psychology student at UNL who’s been a TA all four years the program has existed. “So our job here is to plant the seeds for that leadership, and help them develop character, and strengths to make an impact on other people, to have empathy and teamwork that they can use to interact with their peers and make a positive impact on them.” 

Through practice, repetition and reinforcement, students in the program are taught to  evolve their inherent talents into strengths, and then utilize those strengths to help others follow that some procedure. They identify difference makers in their own lives, then learn how to be the role models others can follow in their own lives so they can make an impact on their school communities once they return to their classrooms later this month. 

“The goal is to build stronger leaders for these kids as they go into high school and junior high, because that can be a very weird time for them,” said Henry Holtmeier, a rising junior at Tri County, who’s testing the waters as a program TA for the first time. “It’s maybe not always difficult, but they’ve never been in this sort of setting. Especially in schools around here, the junior highs and high schools are all one, so it can be a little bit nerve-wracking, and having good leaders within each of those classes can really help ease those nerves and help build a better class dynamic.” 

One of the program’s highlights is an activity where every student is told to treat the others as if they were whatever stereotype – star athlete, foreign exchange student, drug addict – is taped to the back of their shirt. They identify hot buttons – characteristics that unite people from different backgrounds – and learn to look past a stereotype and treat others for who they are rather than what they are.  

“I think it’s really meaningful for youth when somebody identifies those strengths in them. Like they just light up, like, ‘Oh, you think that I’m intelligent, compassionate and empathetic!’ Maybe they never realized that, or maybe it just feels good for someone to see them for who they are and what they could be, and that is really impactful for them,” said Smidt. “I think them being able to learn these things and also share this time with others who are high-achieving and leaders and wanting to develop these skills is really valuable.” 

“Part of being a leader is not only recognizing your strengths, but recognizing strengths in others and helping build them up,” Henry Holtmeier said. “My goal is mainly to guide them in the right direction, because some of these questions...it’s not deeply personal, but they force you to dig a little bit deeper.” 

Originally developed by the Natural Human Resources Institute, the Priceless Preteen program is propped up by the mantra “Small ripples make big waves:” one final lesson that emphasizes compassion, and shows these young future stars that any effort they make to improve themselves will have a massive effect on everyone else in their lives.  

“It’s like a pay it forward thing. You do one small thing for someone, it motivates them to do something for someone else, and on and on and on. One small move can make a big difference in everyone,” Roelfs explained. “I love to help other people get to know their strengths and abilities. It’s just a great thing to do. This program is amazing, and I’m really glad I get to come back this year. I love this, it’s amazing.” 

When Holtmeier first sought to apply this program in Jefferson County in 2022, one of the main hurdles was getting the various school administrations to buy in. But now, as the Priceless Preteen program completes year four of educating kids in the Fairbury area, the efforts have, fittingly, begun to pay off. Schools have started recommending high-achieving students like Roelfs without being asked. Companies and organizations have asked to sponsor the event, instead of just the other way around. Parents have asked when next year’s program will be held and what their kid needs to do to be a part of it. For a program like this that’s pretty rare outside of the greater Lincoln area and in college settings, these classes have started to create a ripple effect of their own.  

“I want them to feel empowered to stand up to others who are bringing others down. I want them to be encouraging. Ultimately, I just want them to be able to see the good in everyone, and to be able to verbalize that,” Penny Holtmeier said. “If they know of and are secure in themselves, they can encourage others to do the same - their positivity transfers. Conceivably, these kids could change the whole world, which is pretty powerful.”