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Marcus Deane

According to Oxford Languages, “leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal.” Sharing the similar goal, The Military Leadership Club, or MLC, strives to make leaders out of Charters students.
Officer William Bucknam, Student Resource Officer, had this vision four years ago to create such a club that transforms students into above-average leaders. Officer Bucknam shared this plan with Mr. Bayer, to which the approval was spontaneous.
“Mr. Bayer liked the idea of the interaction of the SRO with students, the presentation of colors, and the leadership training,” Officer Bucknam stated. With the thumbs up from administration, he put this idea into reality when he founded MLC in 2019, with the goal to provide students the opportunity to become a leader, set goals, and prepare them for college.
“Students would get knowledge on what a leader is, why it is important to know what is a leader, and how it would benefit students in the future,” Officer Bucknam said. “With either college, job[s], life; anything to create self-worth. The purpose of the club is for leadership training through the best model in the world; that being the military.” These goals were what Officer Bucknam built the foundation of the club on. The goals Officer Bucknam put out impacted many members and attracted many new ones.
Opening her eyes to this new club, Junior Cadet Emma Leatherwood joined the MLC this year. Her main goal was to see how it could benefit her and foster growth as an individual. Cadet Leatherwood was not disappointed.
“I joined the MLC to better myself as a person, grow my character, learn discipline to help in everyday life, and better my opportunities for the future. I believe MLC gives each student a choice to hold themselves to a higher standard and open doors to options they may not have previously considered,” Cadet Leatherwood said.
Junior Captain Zoe Brehm is the current club president of the MLC. As a freshman, Captain Brehm figured she had everything planned out when it came to school. One fateful February changed that as she was invited to a club open house. She immediately was drawn into the idea of how being a leader opens the doors to many opportunities. After this, Captain Brehm joined her freshman year and is using her skills learned in the MLC to pursue her future career plans.
“I aspire to be a surgeon after I graduate. It might take a while, but the MLC has helped me grow the belief that as long as I work long and hard at something I can do anything I truly want to,” Captain Brehm stated.
The cadets of the Military Leadership Club will continue to present the colors at football games, school events, and show leadership. The MLC strives to bring leadership skills to all corners of Charter, one student at a time.