Excitement was in the air Dec. 4 for "Leadership Day" at Harry S Truman Elementary School with students and staff dressed in turquoise blue T-shirts, with the motto, "Got Leadership?"

The much anticipated visit from author Sean Covey was clearly displayed in and outside of the school. Seven wooden snowmen lined the school's main entrance sidewalk, and were labeled with one of each of the seven habits, listed in Covey's book, "7 Habits of Happy Kids."

Two students stood by each sign, acting out the hand motions, for the over 100 invited guests, most of them local educators from 127 local school districts. Salisbury Superintendent Michael Roth and Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning Randy Ziegenfuss were present to welcome the invited guests.

Mark Bitar, an HST student, dressed up in a tree costume with the titles of the seven habits attached to his branches and trunk, posed in the lobby.

Student registrars welcomed guests before they entered the gymnasium for the opening presentation.

Following an interview with PBS Channel 39 WLVT, Covey arrived at the school and shook hands with students and guests. He was accompanied by an entourage from Franklin Covey, an educational and training services company in Salt Lake City, Utah, co-founded by his father Steven Covey.

Covey is executive vice president of global solutions and partnerships for Franklin Covey.

Blue and white balloons floated above tables in the school's gymnasium as guests listened to Principal Barbara Samide give an overview of the itinerary for the visit.

Student Noah Koch explained how the trait, "Be Proactive" has affected his life.

"I am proactive by packing my own lunch."

A video directed by student Madison Heck was shown with peers and teachers discussing the meaning of the word, "leadership."

Robert Ludwig, physical education teacher at both HST and Western Salisbury Elementary School, said he was pleased to have the large variety of school districts visiting Salisbury.

"It's nice to see others coming into our school district to see how we are doing things. I think it's great."

"One of the things we are really celebrating this year is leadership," Samide said. "This is going to be a day where our students are going to be leading. When you see children who were afraid to stand up and participate, do so, it really makes you feel good."

The second stop on Coveys' visit was to the classrooms where the seven habits are taught and demonstrated. Each wing of the school was transformed to illustrate a habit.

Students wearing white banners identifying them as tour guides were quick to open doors for guests and inform them as to which educational area they were entering.

Cynthia Long's second grade class was assigned to, "Seek first to understand then to be understood." Her students were writing a poem on this topic.

A method of following kids behavior, good or bad is referred to as a "Habit Tracker" where teachers and peers will, "track" behavior of students by observing their behavior and writing it down.

During this session, Covey stopped and briefly talked with the students on the skill of listening and spoke with their teacher.

Outside of the library, Covey was greeted by Principal Heather Bennett from Roosevelt Elementary School. The educators' arms were overflowing with copies of, "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids." With a smile, Covey signed each one.

The event ended in the gymnasium with a question and answer time. Those in the audience asked a panel composed of WSE students, teachers and parents about the Leader in Me program.

Both HST and WSE elementary schools have a group called "The Student Lighthouse Team." The Lighthouse Team consists of one teacher per grade level. In addition to Samide, the HST teacher team is: Cyndee Hill, Denise Magditch, Abbey O'Dor, Lori McGinley, Mary Beth Bedics, Christina Attar and Jean Schey.

The HST student team consists of two student representatives from grades one through five: Valarie Wallace, Fawlco Ramos, Bailee Neitz, Madlyn Williams, Noah Kichline, Ben Edelman, Chase Watto, Quinn Whitman, Riley Yerkes and Margaret Carl.

The staff team meets weekly and then brings the students in to brainstorm and plan once a month. The week starts with a 10-minute leadership gathering assembly for the entire school where students are recognized for practicing the seven habits. HST is transitioning to have these gatherings be completely student-led.

A mother of one of the HST students thanked Covey and the school for implementing the program. She could see a marked positive behavior and attitude change with her child as he applied the principles to his day-to-day life.

Covey explained why his motivational book was aimed at elementary school children.

"In college, I was a quarterback and mentored kids by speaking to them two to three times a week," Covey said. "I got the idea for writing for little kids when I had my own little kids."

Looking ahead, Covey envisions writing more books, of the same genre.

"I see 100 more books," Covey said. "We are also making cartoons and using them to get our points across. I want to teach kids leadership skills in a timeless and engaging way. I want to win. We can win by being true, kind, delicate and soft. Who needs SpongeBob? My motto is every child deserves this."