If one person fits the description of a leader in the St. Robert community, Ms. Haas would be the person to look for! She has spent her whole life not just in service to her family, but she has also sacrificed so much for the community of St. Robert. She has been at St. Robert since 1988, and was a school parent for 18 years. During that time, she attended countless meetings for her children, along with being the Home & School President and president of the School Advisory Board.

Outside of the school board, she began organizing Battle of the Books and she now coordinates the program for fifteen different schools that participate, including St. Robert. Mrs. Haas still continues this service to the school community today. Additionally, she works as a substitute teacher, has facilitated chess club, has started a scrabble club during recess periods, runs much of the business end of the school library, and much more!

Although everyone who knows Ms. Haas would consider her an extraordinary leader, she likes to think of herself as a good workerbee and a person who loves to learn new things and help people. Ms Haas states that her “greatest motivation is her five children, all of whom are graduates of St. Robert.”

Being a leader not only provides service to a community, but it also develops character. Ms. Haas states, “Working in a lot of committees with a lot of different people has helped me realize that there are two sides to every story. Even if you have a very strong opinion, you have to be able to listen to the other side even though you might not always agree.” She also states, “If you are going to get along and get anything accomplished with other people, then you need to work together.” Mrs. Haas has acquired a lot of good advice over the years and always enjoys sharing some words of encouragement to anyone in the community who may be struggling.

Mrs. Haas really demonstrates the idea that everyone has an opportunity to be a leader and make a difference. A first step to becoming a student leader could be by participating in any extracurricular activities to show dedication and leadership to St. Robert. At St. Robert, students can be a part of student council, playground pals, church choir, altar serving, and other forms of volunteering to help with younger grades. However, if any of these things are not appealing, there are always other ways to show leadership. Modeling leadership can be something to work on at home, on sports teams, or in the classroom. Whether it is offering to clear the plates after dinner, congratulating a teammate, or helping a student that has dropped his or her books, leadership is a quality that can be developed in many ways. Just like Mrs. Haas, now is a better time than ever to evaluate the best ways to step up in the community and be a leader today!