In the student engagement department, the leadership program is split into two separate classes. One is the Cub class which is exclusive to 9th graders and the other is the Bear class which is for 10th-12th graders. The Bear class is focused on the planning and execution of school events. 

While a large portion of class time is spent on planning events, an equal emphasis is placed on developing and building on leadership skills. Once a month, Mrs. Darby, the leadership advisor, gave a lesson on important leadership skills. The goal of these lessons was to improve the skills of student leaders in order to improve campus culture, but also in order to set up leadership students for success even outside of school. Brennen Pangilinan, a 12th grader in the class, said, “Leadership has taught me that I will carry this class’s teachings outside of school, whether it’s work, selling at reptile conventions, or any significant challenges within life.” Although character lessons are given every month, these lessons also come in the failures and successes that students face while planning events, leading their peers, and working with other students. “Leadership has taught me to become the light people need sometimes and that leadership lives in actions, not titles,” Brennen said. The Bear class not only gives students the opportunity to make memories but also form lasting skills that will follow them through life.

The Cub class focuses mainly on planning schoolwide events that show appreciation toward staff and students. Like the Bear class, they use a committee system. However, they have only four committees, which gives every student the chance to be in every committee once if they choose to. 

The first committee is Lunchtime Activities, which plans games, karaoke, and other fun events for students to participate in during lunch. The goal is to get students more active on campus and provide a fun and easy way for them to get involved. The second committee is Staff Appreciation. This committee aims to show appreciation to staff, whose efforts often go unnoticed. One of their biggest events was a snack cart where students wheeled around a cart and staff could pick a food of their choosing. The third is Student Appreciation, which worked to award students for good grades and participation. They also worked tirelessly to show every student on campus that they are appreciated. Finally, the last committee is the Student Voice Committee. While most discussions happen inside the leadership room, this committee holds student senates to make sure that everyone on campus has the opportunity to share their opinions and have their voice heard!

Both the Bears and Cubs plan intricate events for the school to enjoy. Some events the Bears plan are Homecoming, Prom, school sports tournaments, scavenger hunts, and more! The Bear class is also separated by grade, so each grade has the chance to plan events like Splash-a-Senior and other grade-level events. The Cubs focus on planning events for freshmen and events like a school-wide picnic and music days in the Quad! While some events require more difficult planning than others, each event gets the same level of care and excitement in the planning phase. These events are made to serve the student body, which is why it is so important that planning is detailed. This is to get the best result and hopefully make people happy during the event!

Not only do leadership students create a magical time for the rest of the school, but they also get to create a good time for themselves. Sara Miller, a junior and member of the Leadership Exchange committee, said, "My favorite event to plan was Leadership Exchange. It gave me the opportunity to create ' leadership magic ' for other leadership students." 

While event planning gives to the school, it also gives to students as individuals. Sara went on to say, "As you plan more events and turn away from being a self-leader into a delegation-style leader, you learn how you can use your knowledge and your power to help others create amazing things."

In both the Bear and Cub classes, student leaders are assigned a service points project every quarter. This assignment requires students to get one ‘point’ from each of the following categories: Service to Leadership, Service to CHS, and Service to the Community. To earn the point, students are required to help out at a leadership event when they are not obligated to (service to leadership), attend any CHS event, whether it be sports games, band performances, choir events, etc. (service to CHS), or serving their community in a food bank, senior center, or any related event (service to community)! This encourages these leaders to not only lead on their campuses but to take it to the next level and begin to lead in their communities. 

Mrs. Darby, the leadership advisor, commented on the value of serving our broader community. She said, “I think it's important for the students to serve the community outside of class because I think that being involved in the community in ways that vary really builds people's connection to other people outside. That connection keeps us human to be able to do things outside of just the leadership class. Doing all the different things that I hope we do in leadership helps people see how they are as people and help them grow into a better leader, a better person." So, while service is important because it helps our community, it is also an important step in creating well rounded leaders who can consistently grow and improve in all facets of their leadership.

The OLPA award stands for the Outstanding Leadership Program Award. It’s an award given to leadership programs around the state by the California Association of Student Leaders (CASL). The OLPA Award is presented at the CASL conference, which was in Santa Clara for 2025. At the CASL conference, student leaders from all over the state are given an opportunity to attend a three-day conference that covers multiple topics, including tips to bring back to school events, the importance of mental health in leadership, and many lessons on how to improve as leaders. Every year, the Concord High leadership program sends a group of students to this conference as a way to network and bring back valuable insights for the program!

Rae Nieto Benitez attended the CASL conference for all four years of her high school journey. As ASB President for the 2024-2025 school year, she was able to walk across the stage and receive the OLPA award. She said, “The fact that we are consistent and great at what we do is an award of its own. It makes me proud knowing that the whole program, including me, is making a mark in California as a program winning THE OLPA award.” Not only is the OLPA award a great way to recognize the program on a state level, but it rewards the students in class by showing them that the work they do is powerful and meaningful.