LSLC, which formerly was known as Southern Leavenworth County Leadership Development, is a local leadership program that has been part of local communities for roughly 30 years.

Participants in the class range from high school seniors to retired residents. It’s thought to still be the only community leadership program in the state that includes high school students in the program. LSLC also works with Kansas Leadership Center in providing its programming. Their partnership also allows participants to take advantage of KLC programs through grants and other opportunities.

The class meets monthly through April, with a graduation ceremony to take place in May.

Classes focus on personal development, education, city government, county government, communications and political science and state government. The class visits local government offices in Tonganoxie, Lansing or Basehor each year, as well as school districts on a rotating basis annually as well. The class also visits a breakout room, along with the Dole Institute of Politics in Lawrence, the Leavenworth County Courthouse and Justice Center in Leavenworth and the Kansas Statehouse and Brown v. Board of Education National Site in Topeka. Class members also select a volunteer project in group that they then will discuss in a final presentation at the April class.

Tuition for the class again is $200 this year.

For more about the class or to receive an application, email Sandy Waller at sandyw@firststateks.com.

In addition to local residents from various work backgrounds, seniors from Basehor-Linwood, Lansing and Tonganoxie high schools also are in the class each year.

Many LSLC volunteer projects are still visible today, including the sign at the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds along Kansas Highway 16 and the pet health day in Tonganoxie, which started as a class project.