KYLA
  • Home
  • History
  • About the Program
  • Schedule
  • Student Materials
  • Sponsors
  • Board of Directors
  • In the News
  • PHOTOS
  • Class Members
  • Alumni
  • Projects
  • Updates
  • Donate
  • Apply
  • Contact Us

History

INCEPTION

The Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy origins were born out of  a Kosciusko Leadership Academy white paper project written by Alvin Gore and Ruth Block in 1990 - 1991.    
 
Shortly thereafter, a trio of individuals consisting of Peggy Michael, Ann Lash Branson and Jerry Parker,  piggy backed off of the original  white paper proposed  by Gore and Block and wrote and expanded version of the paper in 1992 - 1993. 

In the summer of 1993 the Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy officially started and became  an organization  when Michael and  Branson  set out to implement the program.  They spent the remainder of 1993 and 1994 planning and setting up the academy.  In  September of 1994 the very first class session was held consisting of 25 seniors from Warsaw, Wawasee, Tippecanoe Valley, Whitko and Triton High Schools.  In May of 1995 the academy saw it's first group of 25 students receive diplomas. 

 A formal board of directors was installed in  the summer of 1995, which was comprised of several  area business leaders. The newly appointed board members implemented an expanded curriculum of leadership sessions for the class and adopted by laws. 
 
Although the curriculum has been updated on a continuous basis over the years, the basic structure is much the same today as it was in 1994, when the academy held its first class.

​Students interact with several guest speakers in many of the sessions, including: City, County and State Government / Implementing Leadership Skills; Agri-Business; Orthopedic and Healthcare; Problem Solving; Social Services; Law Enforcement / Judicial System.  In addition to this, students take a tour of Kosciusko County Courthouse, Justice Building, EMS Dispatch Center, and the Kosciusko County Jail, LSC Communications, and DePuy Synthes and downtown Warsaw businesses.  
Picture

IMPACT

The first Kosciusko Youth Leadership class was the class of 1994 - 1995 and had a total of 25 members. Today, class size ranges between 25 and 35 high school juniors. Since its inception, KYLA  has built it roll of graduates to over 700.  

There is no application charge or cost to participate, as KYLA is 100% funded by local companies, organizations and individuals. Applicants are accepted from six high schools located within the county: Lakeland Christian Academy, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Warsaw, Wawasee, and Whitko. However, academy students may actually live in four different counties that feed into Kosciusko County schools, including: Kosciusko, Elkhart, Marshall, and Whitley Counties. 

To date, over 200 community service  projects have been completed by KYLA graduates and hundreds of thousands of dollars raised have been raised and invested back into the local communities. Some of the projects completed include:
  • making hats for cancer patients, collecting toys for terminally ill children at Riley's Children's Hospital,
  • Kate's Kart, (providing books to children in area hospitals throughout northern Indiana),
  • Warsaw High School Clothes Closet, (provides clothing for students who are in need of clothing),
  • Boomerang Backpacks (providing food for the weekend for elementary students in need),
  • promotion of pet adoptions at the Animal Welfare League,
  • conducting food drives for Combined Community Services,
  • participating in mentoring programs for area youth,
  • interviewing and archiving stories from area war veterans, and an honor flight to Washington DC for war veterans.
  • preparing baskets of dry goods, blankets etc., for in need families of newborns at Kosciusko Community Hospital,
  • fund raising drives for Magical Meadows, a therapeutic horse riding venture for handicapped children, and
  • a fundraising 5K run event that netted $26,000 for the local Cancer Care Fund to help Kosciusko County families who need financial assistance while dealing with cancer.
  • Race for Trace, a 5K run that grossed over $150,000 over a five year period for various causes. 
Picture
Home  |  History  |  About the Program  |  Curriculum
In the News  |  Apply  |  Contact Us  |  Sponsors  |  Alumni 
© COPYRIGHT 2019 , KOSCIUSKO YOUTH LEADERSHIP, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • History
  • About the Program
  • Schedule
  • Student Materials
  • Sponsors
  • Board of Directors
  • In the News
  • PHOTOS
  • Class Members
  • Alumni
  • Projects
  • Updates
  • Donate
  • Apply
  • Contact Us