Leadership at King’s in 2020

This group of young men is a fitting representation of our diverse School and they cannot wait to get started on the role ahead of them.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Leadership Mentality

With a significant proportion of the School’s attention on the 2019 Year 12s as they attended their final classes and prepared for graduation in Term 3, our Year 11s were busily preparing for their own exams and quietly writing leadership applications and speeches for house meetings.

As our young men progress on their journey there is a gradual increase in the awareness of the leadership around them. As Year 7s, they see these larger than life Year 12s with little King’s crests on their collars and assume it is some sort of right without fully understanding what it all means. At this point in time Year 7s really just respect and admire seniors and particularly monitors because of their title. By Year 9 and 10 our young men are starting to notice the monitors for how they carry themselves and interact with younger boys and staff. They begin to notice all the charity events and the way monitors check uniforms on parade. Here is when Kingsmen start to see that leadership is not just a title, but rather a behaviour and an action. Year 11s start to admire the leaders for their contributions and how they handle difficult situations, importantly they start to think about why we have student leaders and notice the different ways monitors lead through different leadership styles.

Year 11 students will often start to suggest ways they would like to lead, and aspects of the School and houses that they would like to have an impact on – they are starting to think proactively. How they want to “be” as a leader. As staff, particularly Year 11 Tutors and Housemasters, we encourage the Year 11s to begin to observe and reflect on our environment and start to think about how their behaviour can begin to influence this in a positive way. Year 11s start to think independently and critically about the leadership they see around them, given the opportunity what is it that they will contribute. Hopefully there is a progression away from the sense that things are fixed and the realisation that an individual can influence the environment and behaviours of others through their actions and leadership. Our young men begin to be proactive.

Leadership Process

So, at last in Term 3 2019, and after discussing and rehearsing their leadership plans with their mates and family, these young men got a chance in front of a crowd and senior staff to share their thoughts. Housemasters asked for expressions of interest to be a house leader and speeches were made. While at the same time monitor hopefuls were asked to submit a letter applying to be a monitor in 2020. The letter required an explanation of an example of how they have demonstrated a School value over the last 12 months.

For the 2020 monitorship position, there were 110 Year 11 applicants. During Term 3, Year 11 students and all teaching staff voted on the monitor candidates. At the same time Housemasters, Year 11 Coordinator and Tutors were asked to submit information on the future student leaders in their houses. This information, along with further consultation with Housemasters, was used to develop a list of 44 students who would be interviewed by Stephen Edwards the Deputy Headmaster and myself.

Over a 10-day period these 44 young men were interviewed and asked to share ideas about how they understood leadership, what areas of the School they would like to have a positive impact on, how they would carry out this impact and how they have demonstrated leadership around the School recently. Stephen Edwards and I were extremely impressed with the manner in which these young men carried themselves, their observations of positive leadership around them and their articulations of potential actions to address the area of need they saw around King’s. It was going to be a difficult task to refine this group down to the required number. After further consultation with Housemasters, the Headmaster and staff, 25 young men were invited to become monitors for 2020. This group of young men is a fitting representation of our diverse school and they cannot wait to get started on the role ahead of them.

Leaders Who Lead

This left the difficult task of making a recommendation for the School Captain and Vice-Captain to the Headmaster. Five students stood out as potentials for these roles. It was at this stage that a student monitor executive begun to be considered and the more it was discussed the more this model made sense. By appointing more senior leaders, amongst the monitors, it would spread the responsibilities amongst more students, whilst also helping to form a framework around which the monitors are able to plan and report on their portfolios. This model also reflects on how committees work, with an executive who have areas of responsibility and report back to the larger group.

So, five future leaders, who were all extremely well respected by the staff and their peers, were invited to meet with the Headmaster, Deputy Headmaster and I to discuss the role of School Captain. During this process these students’ areas of particular interests and strengths became evident and aligned to proposed roles within the executive team.

2020 Monitors’ Executive Team

School Captain: Rupert Douglass

Vice-Captain: Jinyoung Kim

Executive (Academics):

Callum Taylor

Executive (Character):

Max von Appen

Executive (Community):

George Poolman

Leadership is discussed at all levels of The King’s School and it is not just the monitors who lead our student body. Every student has the ability to influence those around them, whilst we all work towards excellence in the service of others.

Meet the Executive Team

Each of our new executive team’s interests and strengths reflect the Value Distinctives of the School. These form the key pillars of our approach to producing well rounded King’s graduates and they will assist the School in this endeavour.

Max Von Appen discussed the need to share interests and strengths in all co-curricular domains, and the personal benefits and lessons to be learned from all our effort and commitment in these fields. Max had a focus on the development and demonstration of leadership in character.

George Poolman expressed his desire to see stronger relationships across the whole school and outside of our defined social groups and demographics, thus showing leadership in building our community.

Callum Taylor articulated elegantly how the pursuit of a broad range of academic interests and domains requires balance in all aspects of life and school, whilst also developing well rounded and accomplished graduates. Callum’s area of interest and success lends itself to a leadership role in academics.

Our new Vice Captain, Jinyoung Kim, and Captain, Rupert Douglass, shared their broad interests, engagement and success across all aspects of the School and were able to demonstrate their ability to capture an audience’s attention, thus inspiring those around them. Jinyoung and Rupert’s characteristics and strengths lend themselves to be the natural choice as respective Vice Captain and Captain.

Each of our remaining 20 monitors are assigned to a portfolio, which is a continuation of our previous model. These portfolios will then fall under Academics, Character or Community. Monitors will work with their respective executive to deliver on initiatives as discussed and planned with the whole monitor group and after consultation with the wider community. Each of these executives will work closely with their corresponding Senior Staff Executive, Deputy Head Academics, Deputy Head Community and Deputy Head Character.

This monitor group was well received by the student and staff body which reflects the thorough, detailed and communitive approach undertaken throughout the process. The new monitors received a rousing applause when they were announced to the student body at an assembly in Term 3.

Passing the Baton

Before our 2019 Monitors left at the end of Term 3 they were able to share breakfast with the incoming 2020 Monitors. This was an opportunity to share ideas and ensure the continuation of the strong leadership shown by the senior group. Each outgoing Monitor had the opportunity to give a summary of the projects he had worked on and importantly what had worked well and areas that needed a little more attention. The 2019 group reminded the new Monitors that whilst it is grand to think big, sometimes it was important to plan to work towards quick victories and to somehow hold each other to account.

Archie Stacy particularly encouraged the continuation of the theme of “celebrating the uncelebrated”. This saw a live lightening game of chess played at assembly and a home debate against Scots attended by well over 400 enthusiastic and vocal students, which King’s won, serving to help give a huge group of Kingsmen an insight into some of the intricacies of debating.

Leadership is discussed at all levels of The King’s School and it is not just the Monitors who lead our student body. Every student has the ability to influence those around them, whilst we all work towards excellence in the service of others.

All Kingsmen are encouraged to lead through example and self-awareness.

Fortiter et Fideliter

David F Idstein Director of Leadership and Character Development