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Several Greenville High School students recently completed the Pathways to Success program through the Effective Leadership Academy (ELA), a nine-week initiative focused on cultivating key life and leadership skills. The program was made possible through funding provided by the Alabama Association of Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Councils.

“This is my first year in the building,” said Greenville High School Principal Bryant Marlow. “We’ve definitely got some great students here that we’re moving in the right direction and I’m very proud of them.”

Marlow emphasized the value of RC&D’s support. 

“I want to say thank you for the partnership that we have with RC&D,” Marlow said. “We receive state and federal funds, right, but many times those funds are allocated for specific things. So with the partnership that you (RC&D) have with us and the generous donations that you give, it allows us to do things outside of the box. So we greatly appreciate that, and hopefully we can continue that in the future.”

Pathways to Success is part of ELA, an Ohio-based education initiative introduced to Alabama by W.F. “Noopie” Cosby, President of the Cosby Company, a government and public relations firm. Cosby collaborated with the RC&D to bring the program to Alabama schools, where it now serves as a vital bridge for students navigating key academic transitions.

“You know, the real objective of our program is to use the concepts learned throughout the course and create a learner attitude,” said Cosby. “And this learner attitude, is only created when you develop a mindset, where you focus every day on taking all these attributes that you learned and using them in your everyday life… and you become a learner to become a leader, not the captain of the football team or the head cheerleader or president of the class, but the leader of yourself, the leader of who you are.”

The curriculum emphasizes personal development and leadership principles such as situational leadership, time management, goal setting, communication and learning-style advocacy — all taught in a safe and reflective environment.

“When you walk into the classroom, you decide,” Cosby added. “If you’ve had a bad day, you’ve learned how to work out of that and move from a prisoner who doesn’t want to be here or a vacationer who simply is chilling and doesn’t want to worry about anything, to being a learner. And that choice makes all the difference, doesn’t it?”

County Commissioner Allin Whittle expressed admiration for the students’ progress. 

“You know, I think if I had had something like this when I was young, like you all, I don’t know what I would have done,” Whittle said. “The eye contact, the handshake, you know, that’s important.”

Butler County Superintendent Joe Eiland praised the program’s impact. 

“Anything that can grow students, that’s what I feel like is our purpose and our mission,” Eiland said. “Without growing students, then what are we doing?  And this nine-week exercise that actually extends throughout the entire year is phenomenal.”

With support from RC&D, the Effective Leadership Academy continues to equip students with tools for academic success and personal growth, inspiring them to lead not just in title — but in life.