The Solomon Leadership Program marked its 10th anniversary at Palm Beach Synagogue, honoring 23 high school students from across Palm Beach County who completed the yearlong leadership course.
The milestone was celebrated with a graduation ceremony April 28 at the synagogue, bringing together students, families and community leaders.
“It really gives a lot of encouragement for the future,” Sarah Dworcan, the program’s president and CEO, said of the graduating class. “You often hear, ‘Oh, teenagers today.’ I always say people should check out Solomon. It’ll give you a lot of faith in the future.”
The Solomon Leadership Program — founded in 2016 by Palm Beach Synagogue Rabbi Moshe Scheiner and Palm Beach philanthropist Larry Sosnow — is a mentorship and educational initiative designed to develop leadership skills in high school students.
Its curriculum was developed in conjunction with Palm Beach Atlantic University, so participants can receive three fully transferable college credits after completing it. The progarm includes text-based learning, discussions, case studies, guest speakers and mentoring to help students develop critical thinking and a deeper sense of morality to help them grow into ethical and effective leaders, Dworcan said.
The program has grown into a national organization with 16 chapters, including one based at the Historic Tabernacle Baptist Church in West Palm Beach. About 1,000 students have graduated since its inception, Dworcan said.
“What’s incredible about Solomon is that it takes 11th- and 12th-graders who are already showing leadership potential, and it takes them through a college-credited course that we’ve developed and created, all on personal development and critical thinking to help develop their moral compass,” she said. “It’s a very critical age.”
The ceremony capped a yearlong program that brought together students from across the county.
The evening included remarks from program leaders and community speakers, as well as a commencement address by former West Palm Beach city commissioner and mayoral candidate Christina Lambert.
The students, who represented nine public and private schools, ran the graduation ceremony, Dworcan said, opening the evening, introducing speakers and leading the program.
“We really hold them to a high standard, and they deliver,” she said of the students. “They’re unbelievable, each one of them in their own right.”
The Solomon Leadership Program, which is expected to expand to 19 to 20 chapters for the 2026-27 school year, provides selected students, or “fellows,” with guidance from accomplished mentors. It covers eight core leadership principles, including character, tolerance, communication, vision, empowerment, persistence, strategy and judgment.
The program consists of 12 sessions, with the first two including a meet-and-greet and an introduction to leadership, and the final two consisting of a closing session and graduation. The other sessions focus on one of the eight core leadership principles, or “pillars.”
The program typically begins in November and ends in May. While all 16 Solomon chapters employ the same curriculum and program model, each chapter chooses its own local mentors and guest speakers. Each chapter is overseen by the organization’s Palm Beach office to maintain consistent program quality, Dworcan said.
Students must apply for The Solomon Leadership Program, which is open to all 11th- and 12th-grade students who aspire to be leaders in their communities and are active in their schools, houses of worship, and extracurricular activities.
More information about the Solomon Leadership Program is available at SolomonProgram.org.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Teen leadership program founded in Palm Beach marks 10th anniversary
Reporting by Jodie Wagner, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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