Striving for Excellence
President and Interim Principal Pamela M. Rogers
Our Jazz Leadership Project has four principles, one of which is Individual Excellence. As a measure of self-awareness and growth, we define this principle as personal development through a commitment to mastery. Individual Excellence is the first principle that we outline as foundational to the jazz model that powers its high-level performance and collaborative nature.
Striving to embody this principle not only includes one’s knowledge base and skill set but also the ability to shift well and be agile in the midst of rapid change. It’s not about perfection, but rather about striving for mastery through embodied introspection and intention.
When viewed as an evolutionary process, excellence can be developed through the apprentice—journeyman—master craftsman model. The apprenticeship level calls for a mindset of curiosity and wonder, which enables a shift into an intermediate journeyman level of consistent competence, and finally achieving a level of craftsmanship recognized as a master of the field.
Speaking of excellence, the two Black American teenage girls above proved the Pythagorean Theorem using trigonometry—something that has only been accomplished one other time in the last 2,000 years!
A recent CBS 60 Minutes story beautifully represented the foundation for and the expression of excellence as manifested at St. Mary’s Academy in New Orleans. A 155-year-old Catholic college preparatory school for young Black American girls, St. Mary’s was founded just after the Civil War in 1867. The story was truly inspiring.
A St. Mary’s math teacher devised a bonus challenge to a math contest for her students. She said that she was looking for some ingenuity, not necessarily expecting it to be solved. High school students Calcea Johnson and Ne’Kiya Jackson each worked independently for months and formulated new proofs for the Pythagorean Theorem. It was remarkable to hear each explain the steps she took to arrive at her solution. What was refreshing about the young ladies was their attitude—one that exuded capability, conviction, and confidence, with little or no ego.
Current President and Interim Principal Pamela M. Rogers said that from the moment the young girls walk through the door, they are primed for excellence. A very high standard is established, and the students are consistently told that they can achieve untold possibilities. For the past 17 years, St. Mary’s has had a 100% graduation rate and 100% college acceptance. Principal Rogers says that they consider all students exceptional and the school creed is excellence for all students—something the students say they welcome and appreciate. Calcea and Ne’Kiya are considered typical students.
The CBS correspondent asked a group of students: What is the essence or the heart of Saint Mary's? They unanimously said that it was “the sisterhood”—their connection with and care for each other.
As with a jazz ensemble, where each member strives for individual excellence, and brings their absolute best to the bandstand to co-create an exemplary experience, these young students embrace a similar mindset. They understand that their excellence is how they continually empower themselves and they show up for those around them. Adopting and enacting an environment and expectation of excellence creates high probabilities of success.
