8 graduate leadership class
PRESCOTT – Eight new leaders received their “diplomas” from Leadership Nevada County Tuesday night.
The commencement ceremonies were held at the Hamilton/Blakely/Municipal Building. The class consisted of: Dennis Pruitt, Cassidy Lawrence, Lashelle Hamilton, Colby Tillman, Zack Lawrence, Austin Beavers, Robbie Franks and Beth Bruce. This was the first class to have a husband and wife involved at the same time.
Pruitt talked about his team’s service project. That team was made up of Pruitt, Cassidy Lawrence, Hamilton and Tillman. He said Prescott used to have a spirit bell that was rang after every Curley Wolf touchdown. But, after the new school was built, the old bell was cracked and sent off to be repaired. Somehow, it got lost. The team decided this would be a good project and raised more than $8,000 to buy a new bell by selling memory bricks, built a tower for it and a sidewalk to it.
Pruitt said he and his wife, Bonnie, went to near Lexington, KY, to pick the bell up and found it was in pieces. Several people helped with the bell, getting it sandblasted and painted and placed atop the tower. It was completed in time for Prescott’s first playoff game.
However, the project didn’t require all the funds raised, so the team decided to do a second project and have a new sign built for Food Share.
Team two, made up of Zack Lawrence, Beavers, Franks and Bruce, decided to put new lights and a new sign up at the Nevada County Rescue Unit building. Beavers said the interior only had one light that worked before this project was done. The lights were purchased at Gilbert Lumber while the sign was made by Dee Glass. Money for this project was raised by raffling off a Henry Golden Boy, which was also purchased in Nevada County.
Next came the Friendship Awards. This started with the first class, when the members of the class decided to give awards based on humorous aspect of the other members personalities.
This was followed by the class members receiving their framed diplomas. Pruitt received the perfect attendance award as the only member who attended every session.
The class was given the chance to tell what they’d learned in the program during the year.
Pruitt said one of the things he really enjoyed about the program was being together with the rest of the class and seeing the young people come up with ideas. “It’s good to see people moving up,” he said. The younger members, he said, didn’t talk about what would only help Prescott and Nevada County, but the surrounding counties as well, because this would also help people in the county.
Beavers said he learned when Mary Godwin, executive director of the Prescott-Nevada County Economic Development Office, said the class wouldn’t be forced to do anything, it didn’t apply to homework. Turns out he spent part of Tuesday in the EDO finishing his assignments. He said he learned a lot about Prescott and there’s more to Prescott and Nevada County than people see just passing through. He said he enjoyed the history and local government sections.
Bruce enjoyed learning more about the city and county and said the more she learned the more she grew to love Prescott and Nevada County, its people and what they do. She said it’s nice to see everyone’s experiences and wanting to make the community as good as it can be because it’s a family-like community.
Zack Lawrence followed, saying he learned there’s a lot of devoted people in this county, and how important it is to shop locally.
Tillman said he learned a lot about Prescott and Nevada County and the dedicated people who live here. He told the class he’d miss them and being together each month, but said Prescott and Nevada County has a bright future with such people here. He added it takes a team effort to build the community up and this group will help to do just that.
Howard Austin, a member of the leadership board of directors, said leadership is the basis for the growth of the city and county and it takes a lot of effort to be a leader because leaders have to assume more responsibility.
Ivory Curry, also a board member, said he’s excited to see so many young people building leadership skills.
