Teachers and administrators at Oakwood Elementary School are convinced their students could be the next community leaders.

That's why they're teaching them leadership skills right now.

"There's a cultural change and shift in the way we think about our kids," said Principal Shane Rayburn. "We're not waiting until they get to high school to address that issue."

When Rayburn joined the staff in August, he started up a conversation about the school's focus.

"We decided this would be our renewed focus or niche to explain what we're going to be about," he said.

"It's how we address our kids and each other; and we empower our teachers to empower our kids."

Based on Stephen Covey's book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," teachers developed lessons to help students adopt the habits. More involvement on both sides has lead to increased student achievement, family interaction and a focused vision, Rayburn said.

"We talk about making it your home and your community," Rayburn said. "Oakwood is a sustainable and viable place, and we want our students to be entrepreneurs here."

Rayburn presented his ideas to the Hall County school board last week, featuring videos of students who talked about what they want to be when they grow up.

"We want somebody to believe in us!" a group of students yelled.

Rayburn is organizing business leaders and groups to get involved at the school.

"We're taking the ubiquitous approach," he said. "Leadership is in reading, writing and arithmetic. It's everywhere."

The new focus could set the road for charter school possibilities, school board members noted.

"Are we chartering? I don't know, but our staff has really embraced this idea that you can change the community if the kids believe they are leaders," Rayburn said. "We're thinking outside of the box for how to make it happen, and some community partners are already talking about ways to invest. We want to make it a school of choice."