AT THE END OF HIS seventh-grade year at St. Edward the Confessor Parish School in Dana Point, Jack Piazza pondered the option of running for student council president. Until then, he had not even run for a class position on the council. He decided that he wanted to make eighth grade special, so he went for it. That decision has paved the way for quite a special academic year thus far.
Both St. Edward’s principal Suzanne Edwards and Upper School assistant principal Ashleigh Vachon shared the positive leadership traits that Piazza demonstrates.
Edwards added: “He has great initiative, a confident presence and is respectful and responsible.”
Vachon, who oversees the student council and works closely with Piazza, said, “he has a strong moral compass and does the right thing regardless of social pressure.”
Piazza is active both in school programs and in the community. He is in his third year of participation with the Academic Decathlon team, which has been the Diocese of Orange overall champion for 10 years and the 2024 National Academic Decathlon overall champion for the Catholic Schools Academic Junior High Decathlon.
He is a member of the school soccer team and also serves as a mentor to many of the fifth- and sixth- grade council members in the school’s MTV (Monarch TV) program.
“He constantly encourages them and offers helpful suggestions when they feel intimated going on camera ‘live’ to speak to the student body,” shared Vachon of Piazza.
He also joins his fellow council members visiting local First Responders to bring them thank you cards and fresh baked goods.
Piazza is also very involved in his community outside of the classroom. He is a Lions Heart nonprofit program member, working with other teens on community projects. One program has been a beach clean-up in the Dana Point area.
Additionally, he is actively involved with fundraising events through the Ronald McDonald House. Piazza’s father and grandfather (who is the board of trustees for this organization) have taught him the value of giving back and helping others.
With high school decisions coming shortly, Piazza would like to continue his education at a Catholic high school. JSerra and Santa Margarita are his two schools of choice. He calls soccer his passion and something he wants to continue with in high school.
When asked what goals he would like to accomplish in his final months at St. Edward’s, Piazza said he wants to help his team win another Academic Decathlon national championship.
Leadership in Orange County Catholic Schools can involve many positive traits. Jack Piazza checks all boxes for academics, service and extracurricular activities. The accurate measurement of one’s leadership skills is often done behind the scenes when no one is watching. For Piazza, it involves encouraging and mentoring younger students and being a positive force in the school’s Prayer Program, which involves older students demonstrating positive behavior, participating in community service and modeling Christian love to others.
In Piazza’s own words, the most essential trait of leadership is being able to make the right decisions in a particular situation.
“God is always watching,” he added.