Meet Your Leaders Hear from our 2021 student leaders as they speak to their Scotch College experience and what makes a leader.
Jim Allan Head of Student Council I started at Scotch in Year 7 in Middle School. You can change one thing about Scotch. What would it be?
Josh Ledger School Captain
Jarvis Banfield Vice-Captain of School (Operations)
I came to Scotch in 2015 as a Year 6 student from Freshwater Bay Primary School, along with incoming Vice-Captain of School (Operations) Jarvis Banfield.
I came to Scotch in Year 6 in 2015 after finishing my primary schooling at Freshwater Bay. I was lucky enough to already have some friends at Scotch, so this made for a very supportive and comfortable transition into the College.
What does it mean to be a leader at Scotch? What I have learnt most about leadership at Scotch is the importance of leading by example. It doesn’t take one person to lead the school, it is a team effort and requires a lot of involvement from everyone within the cohort. It is a privilege to be a part of that team. It is important to understand this, and lead amongst, not from above. I am incredibly honoured to be in a leadership position and I am excited to get into next year. I have big shoes to fill following in the footsteps of our current School Captain Charlie Bevan. I hope to carry on the high standards he has set and bring something of my own to the role.
What is your most classic ‘Scotch’ moment? Since Year 6 I have been a part of the Scotch Swim Team. During this time Scotch has usually placed towards the bottom end of the Public Schools Association (PSA) Inter School Swimming Competition. But this year with new coach, Head of Swimming Ryan Steenkamp, everyone in the team stepped up their training, continuously strived to better their times, and a strong team spirit evolved. One of my most classic Scotch moments was when the Swim Team jumped from seventh to third place in one year on the Inter School swimming night. This result was such a reward for the team’s effort and highlights what Scotch boys are capable of when they put their minds to something.
Simon Arnott Vice-Captain of School (Service) I came to Scotch from South Africa in Year 3 before leaving the following year, only to return as a Year 8. How does service inform who we are as a community? Service comes in a variety of forms – direct, indirect and advocacy. Service provides us, the community, with the opportunity to be involved. Whether it be directly through our actions and being physically present or through giving money, time and resources that will allow others to continue their work.
Through the avenue of service, we look to grow ourselves as a community, making those around us stronger or providing aide and assistance to others in our community when they need it. As through our actions, this is how we are depicted; our identity is shaped by who we are within our community and our outlook toward the wider school, state and national communities.
As a member of both the Middle and Senior sub-schools, I’ve come to realise that Scotch College is more than just the students and staff involved in their respective sub-schools. Something I feel can be improved upon in the College would be the cohesion and interaction between the Junior, Middle and Senior sub-schools. I believe boys from each should take time to share experiences with students from other parts of the school, such as being involved with fundraisers from different sub-schools or just playing sport with other boys. This will lead to stronger relationships between boys that would not have previously interacted, which I believe is a must for a positive and cohesive student body and will strengthen the school’s wellbeing and culture. Brenton Macauley Boarding Captain I began at Scotch in 2017 when I was in Year 8. What is one thing about Boarding that would surprise people? Boarding can be a daunting experience for kids coming in, however I believe you would find the connection we have throughout the year groups, and especially Years 7 and 12, very surprising. Over the past five to ten years you wouldn’t really see a Year 7 having a laugh with a Year 12 because that’s just how it was. Most boys now are very easy and outgoing people who are approachable and would love to have a chat with younger years. We also have diverse cultures at Scotch with boys coming from all over the world, including places such as China, Singapore, Katanning, Northam, Broome, the Wheatbelt and more. You would find that we have a lot of respect for different cultures because that is something we pride ourself on and enjoy about living in a diverse Boarding House with people we are making friends with for the rest of our lives.
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