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College Captains
FROM L-R: RHYS THURSTUN ABBEY ENDRES MICHAEL KLEIDON (PRINCIPAL) JORDANA WENKE ISAAC GEORGHIOU
FROM THE COLLEGE
CAPTAINS
RECEIVING OUR CAPTAINCY BADGES, WE WERE STEPPING INTO A ROLE THAT WAS MORE THAN JUST AN ABUNDANCE OF SPEECHES AND POSITIVE ATTITUDES. WE WERE ENTERING A PERIOD OF ACTIVELY BRAINSTORMING HOW TO BEST REPRESENT OUR COLLEGE AND BE THE VOICE OF THE STUDENTS. THERE WAS A LOT OF NERVOUS ANTICIPATION AS WE KNEW THAT WE HAD BIG SHOES TO FILL! WE REFLECTED ON PAST LEADERS AND HOW THEY TOOK A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO THEIR CAPTAINCY, AND KNEW WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE IN THE MIDST OF THE POSITIVE IMPACTS FROM THEM. THROUGH THIS REFLECTION, WE REALISED OUR ULTIMATE GOAL WAS TO TAKE THEIR ENERGY AND INTERACTIVITY AND REIMAGINE IT INTO SOMETHING OF OUR OWN.
With this in mind, we were all excitedly awaiting our leadership camp, Enthuse, where College Captains from around the State come together to explore and develop their leadership skills. Our first leadership challenge occurred when this event was unfortunately cancelled due to COVID; however, we were fortunate enough to undergo a staff-led Leadership Workshop, just before the start of the school year. Throughout the Workshop we explored our leadership styles and how to successfully work together as a team, and we shared our strengths and weaknesses, learning how to shape our strengths into practice and how to best support each other during our time together as Captains. The fundamental element of this Workshop was to generate our ‘why’ - the ultimate backbone of our Captaincy. Upon reflection of our schooling journey and, after much discussion, we realised we felt a sense of disconnection between the
Year levels. After this realisation, we settled on the theme of ‘Unity’.
We were aware that this was going to be a challenge, however, after some brainstorming, we came up with the idea to leave little ‘breadcrumbs’ which would slowly, but surely, encourage students from various Year levels to interact. We achieved this best through fun and engaging Assemblies and devotions. We also visited the Junior School to assist with their transition from Junior to Senior years and delivered a joint devotion with the Junior School Captains. Additionally, we held various meetings with the complete 2022 Student Leadership team to decide how to implement Unity through interconnecting each Captains’ specialties.
To achieve our goal of Unity, we wanted to create a safe and relaxed environment for all students. We continued last year’s College Captain’s traditions of playing games in Assemblies and devotions to create a welcoming environment. We played some of their ‘classics’, while also introducing a variety of our own - such as ‘Two Lies and a Truth’. We used these activities to develop relatable messages and meaning. For example, we connected a simple game of Jenga to the topic of vulnerability. In this devotion, we talked about the benefits of vulnerability, and how being vulnerable can lead to better relationships with others. By implementing this concept throughout our Captaincy journey, we saw positive impacts in the College community. We were able to create Unity by breaking down the barriers between students in the Senior School, perhaps one of our greatest achievements. We knew that our goal of Unity was ambitious, which is why we hope that the 2023 Captains are able to continue our vision throughout their leadership journey.
