SLArts Ambassador Leadership Program

The SLArts Ambassador Leadership Program is a selective, year-long opportunity for 8th grade students to develop leadership, service, and character. Students apply during their 7th grade year through a competitive process that includes a written application and three teacher recommendations. Only 20 students are selected each year. (Class of 2026 pictured).

As Ambassadors, students represent SLArts through volunteer work that connects our school to the broader community. They serve as public speakers at events for prospective families, lead school tours, and host shadow days for newly admitted students. Ambassadors also act as mentors and role models within the student body, cultivating a culture of kindness, responsibility, and self-expression while embodying our school’s RIISE values (Respect, Inclusion, Integrity, Safety, and Empathy).

Under the mentorship of Markell McCubbin, Director of Academic Engagement, Ambassadors gain valuable real-world leadership experience and complete a service learning project of their choice. Past projects have included a Banned Books Drive and educational presentation, a student-led anti-gun violence march that reached city leadership, numerous food and clothing drives for unsheltered neighbors, volunteer work with animal shelters, neighborhood ‘little library’ renovations, and international aid efforts such as collecting baseball gear for children in the Dominican Republic.

The SLArts Ambassador Program celebrates creativity as a form of leadership and encourages students to express their values through action. Many Ambassadors continue to lead in high school and beyond, taking the skills they developed at SLArts into their communities and making a dynamic, lasting impact.

Questions? Email Markell McCubbin