Lessons in Leadership, Socks, and the Power of Student Voice
Attending an all-girls school in North Yorkshire, my memory of student leadership elections involves an assembly, a show of hands for a designated "Head Girl," from the teacher-selected list of prefects, and an overwhelming sense that the role mostly entailed checking that everyone's socks were pulled up to the exact same height and that our ties were straight. I am sure it wasn’t quite as I remember, and there was much more to the selection process, but it was orderly, efficient, and very detached from what we as students actually cared about. Later, spending my career working in international schools from Guatemala to South Korea, I saw firsthand how much more vibrant a school community becomes when young people are given genuine agency. That is why I am so thrilled to announce the official launch of our Student Council applications this week in Middle and High School.
We are inviting students to step up for the executive roles of President and Vice-President, tasked with crafting speeches centered around a theme for the year chosen by the student body itself: kindness. Alongside these core roles, we are recruiting Communications Officers, Wellbeing Advocates, Environmental Advocates, and Language-Cultural Advocates. These positions are not just fancy badges to pin onto a blazer (or a pencil case seeing as we don’t wear uniforms); they are vital pieces of our school ecosystem. Whether our Wellbeing Advocates organise a peer-support initiative connected to mental health or our Environmental Advocates review our recycling habits, they are living out our mission to build a kind and inclusive community right here in Scotland.
This process is holistic education in action. To step forward for these roles, our students must draw directly on the IB Learner Profile and our school values. It takes a true risk-taker to stand up in front of their peers and deliver a pitch, a principled individual to represent others fairly, and a balanced, reflective thinker to align student desires with practical action. We place citizenship at the very foundation of everything we do because a child who feels secure, heard, and valued is in the absolute best position for deep learning. By empowering our young leaders to champion kindness and culture, we aren't just running a school exercise; we are giving them the real-world practice they need to positively contribute to their communities, both now and long after they leave our halls.
It was also wonderful to see so many of our families this week at our Middle and High School Open House. I hope you enjoyed the chance to meet our teachers and connect with the other vital parts of your child's ecosystem of care. As we look ahead to next Thursday's election speeches, I encourage you to have a chat with your children at home about what it means to be a thoughtful voter. Just like any election process, student council campaigns can easily slide into a popularity contest; or a race to see who can make the most wildly unrealistic promises. We have gently reminded our students to listen carefully to what their peers are saying in their election speeches. True leadership isn't about promising to deliver "kindness" by magically abolishing the mobile device policy; it’s about genuine vision, empathy, and integrity. We want our young people to be open-minded yet critical thinkers, making their own individual choices rather than simply following the crowd.
If your child is thinking of applying, please encourage your children to look over the application materials this weekend, reflect on what they can bring to the table, and throw their hats into the ring. Whether they stand for election or cast a considered vote from the audience, every single student plays a vital part in shaping our school culture.
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