Submitted by Anna Machado
WEST COLUMBIA, SC – Lexington School District Two recently launched Lex2 Grows, a leadership development program started this spring to support and train current employees for future leadership roles within the district.
Lex2 Grows is designed to support district employees who want to strengthen their leadership skills, take on new responsibilities, or become more effective in their current positions. At its core, the program aims to build a stronger, more connected district by investing in the people already serving in their schools.
The program focuses not only on preparing educators for administrative roles but also on developing leadership at any level within the broader district community.
“We often get caught in our content areas and on the training—just algebra, social studies,” said the district’s employee capacity coach, Philip Rabon, who emphasized the importance of intentional reflection. “Taking a step back and making it intentional; the focus on leadership and what characteristics they feel like they already have, where’s their point of growth, and then what they believe they would want to see embodied in a strong leader.”
During the spring semester, the program included four in-person sessions focused on topics such as goal setting, leadership etiquette, emotional intelligence, and navigating difficult conversations. Each session was supported by materials shared through Google Classroom, where participants also submitted progress plans and personal reflections.
Although the Lex2 Grows program is primarily designed to help participants achieve personal leadership goals and advance professionally, it’s already producing benefits for students in the classroom. One of the in-person sessions focused on effective communication — a lesson John Spigner, a participant and teacher at Brookland-Cayce High School, was able to apply directly to his student leadership class during their communication unit.
“I was able to take some of the skills I was learning and then teach those same skills to my students,” Spigner said. “Things like clear, concise communication, actively listening — what does it mean to actively listen to others? How should you dress when you are giving a professional presentation?”
Spigner’s experience highlights the program’s lessons beyond professional growth, and he said it is just as important to learn new strategies in understanding one’s own approach to leadership.
“Leadership is such a personal thing,” Spigner said. “The way that I lead is going to be different than the way you lead.”
To support individual growth, participants had the opportunity to create SMART goals — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound—that helped guide their development. They shared these goals with their mentors, who provided encouragement and accountability.
“It’s just about helping folks kind of reach their goals,” said Rabon. “Sometimes it’s what would keep somebody here, and sometimes it’s what they need just to reinvigorate the passion that they have.”
In addition to fostering goals, Lex2 Grows was also developed as a strategy to support teacher retention. By focusing on professional growth and internal development, the program aims to cultivate talent from within the community. Rabon explained, “Ideally, it would involve less recruiting outside of our current employee base… It’s reinvesting in who you already have and building them to where they want to be.”
For Michelle Creasman, that mission is deeply personal. A fourth-generation graduate of Lexington Two, Creasman now works as an executive support specialist in the special education department and has been with the district for five years.
“I’ve always enjoyed the community and the community involvement. And what better way to have a career that serves my community, my neighbors, my friends, my family, than this one,” said Creasman.
Rabon explained that understanding the students’ community helps educators serve their students more effectively, and the program emphasizes this goal by encouraging networking between educators across the district.
“I now have people that are in different places in the district that I can connect with. So, it’s building my network connection, as well as building my own leadership,” Spigner said.
As a high school teacher, he found it especially valuable to expand his network to include middle school educators within the program. “I can ask questions about what’s happening in the middle school so that our high school can be better,” Spigner said.
Creasman echoed that same sense of impact and momentum within the program.
“I’ll say after every session, I do feel empowered,” Creasman said. “Just really that growth from all of it — and the collaboration and the networking — it just makes you feel really good.”
The first Lex2 Grows group began in January 2025, following a strong response to the program’s initial announcement in October 2024 when applications were released. Applications were due by November 8, and though only 30 participants were selected, the program received more than 90 applications. Accepted applicants were notified in December and began their leadership journey at the start of the spring semester.
The district plans to expand the program next fall by launching multiple Lex2 Grows groups, each focused on specific areas of interest. The district also hopes to partner with local universities to strengthen professional pathways and create a larger in-house support network for aspiring leaders.
To learn more about the district and programs for its employees, visit www.lex2.org.
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Anna Machado is a student in the Honors College at the University of South Carolina who is majoring in journalism. Email her at [email protected].