"The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjust the sails." - John Maxwell.
The Maryborough State High School 'Student leadership Development Program' provides aspiring Student Leaders with a supportive learning environment that develops leadership skills through character based learning opportunities.
Students are challenged on all levels and are required to work cooperatively to achieve set goals, respect themselves and others, inspire and motivate their peers and promote a culture of school pride and belonging.
Students are offered various opportunities to participate in a position of leadership within the school, from Year 7 through to Year 12.
Leadership opportunities include but are not limited to:
Senior Leadership team - School Captains and Vice Captains
Student Representative Council - Junior and Senior
Creative Industries Prefect - Senior student
School Community Prefect - Senior student
Sustainability Prefect - Senior student
House Captains
Student Ambassadors (Year 7-12)
Fundraising Projects/Groups
Sustainability Projects/Groups
Community Projects/Groups
Creative Industries Projects/Groups
Peer Mentoring
The program is designed to integrate student leaders from all years thus enabling all students to develop the necessary skills of leadership to enact and inspire change.
Seven Focus Areas
Student leaders from each year level participate in a minimum of one 'Leadership' lesson per term. There are seven core focus areas that have been developed based upon common practices of exemplary leaders as identified by J. Kauzes and B. Posner (2011). The Five Practices - Traits that Define Leadership. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
https://www.leadershipchallenge.com/research/five-practices.aspx
Group Lead Initiatives (ALL)
Effective groups have a "shared goal". Group work involves all members, working together, towards a common goal. Leaders are naturally goal-orientated and understand the need, and the best way, to communicate the objective/s to the group. By adopting the objectives of the leader and melding them with the individual strengths of the group members. Effective team members also feel a strong sense of empathy, allowing them to better understand the individuals in their group. This factor works to bring the team together to achieve the common objective.
Self-Awareness (Year 7)
Self- awareness is having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, beliefs, motivation and emotions. Self-awareness allows you to understand other people, how they perceive you, your attitude and your responses to them in the moment. The saying 'stay true to yourself' is important advice, it's not easy to stay true to yourself if you don't know who you are. By becoming self-aware and understanding your strengths and limitations, you open up opportunities that would not be available if you do not know yourself.
Model the Way (Year 8)
In order for students to be role models and effective leaders, it is important for them to define what is important to them as individuals and as a member of Maryborough State High School. This focus area provides students with an opportunity to identify what are values and examine the various values they feel are important individually and as a member of Maryborough State High School.
Inspiring a Shared Vision (Year 9)
Inspiring a shared vision can be difficult for any leader, especially a teenager. Teens are still developing the ability to set long term goals, envision what the end result might look like and communicate that vision to empower others. Students will identify the characteristics of highly effective leaders and how leaders get others to believe in their cause.
Challenge the Process (Year 10)
In order to keep organisations moving and growing, change is necessary. This focus area helps young people recognise how to be proactive in a healthy, positive way in order to promote leadership growth and organisational development. Students will understand that effective leaders continuously seek opportunity for improvement and recognise that mistakes and failures are opportunities for growth and improvement whilst distinguishing between positive and negative risk.
Enabling Others to Act (Year 11)
In order to enable other to act, it is important to understand what it takes to get there. By analysing other's actions and engaging in collaborative activities, leaders can strengthen networks and further encourage action. We are all motivated by different things, but something nonetheless. Seeing what motivates others can also give us insight to the leadership potential of our peers.
Encourage the Heart (Year 12)
Schools and society spend a lot of time recognising individuals for outstanding accomplishments - we have awards for sport championships, beauty pageants, performing arts and other activities that recognise the big things people accomplish. Through all this, we all too often forget it's the little everyday feats that get us to that point. Young people accomplish many great things without receiving any type of recognition or without recognising others. This focus area highlights the importance of looking at the "little things."
Duty Roster
Students are expected to volunteer to complete a range of duties throughout the term. A 'Duty Roster' is prepared by the Senior Leaders and students nominate their expected area once a term to work in. The Year Coordinator/Leadership Coordinator responsible for the activity will add you to the roster and monitor progress. |
Student Leadership Definition
Student leaders are responsible, fair minded, positive and caring representatives of, and advocating for, the student body. They actively demonstrate, promote and encourage involvement in creating a positive whole school community.
They should:
initiate school and/or community activities
participate and encourage participation in school, cultural and community events
demonstrate pride in self, school and community
demonstrate organisational ability
School Support Statement
The school will support student leadership through:
recognition of student leadership
encouraging opportunities for student leadership throughout curricular, co-curricular and community activities
training of student leaders in a systemic way over the years of secondary schooling
training of teacher facilitators to manage the leadership program
Criteria for evaluating students for leadership level:
demonstrated initiative in school and/or community activities
demonstrated participation in school, cultural and community events
demonstrated organisational ability
demonstrated involvement in training activities
demonstrated behaviour and attendance worthy of the position as evidenced through school records (One School)
Overall Leadership Structure
The following outlines the major positions and the overall committee structure for the school leadership program.
Leadership Positions
School Executive Leadership
2 Captains, 2 Vice Captains, SRC President, Sustainability Prefect, School Community Prefects (2)
House Captains (4) Selected from Year 10-12
Creative Industries Captain(1)
Year 9 Positions
Junior Captains (2)
Junior Vice Captains (2)
SRC Vice President (1) Selected from Year 7-9
Student Representative Council (Year 7-12)
Members - one for each number in a Form Class (ie if Year 7 has 13 Form classes = 13 reps)
Student Ambassadors (Year 7-12)
Part of the school's leadership development program - on application