Lismore, Woodburn, Tregeagle, Clunes, Eltham 2023 school student leaders share their hopes and dreams
Young leaders from Lismore schools – maths whizzes to soccer stars – have spoken about stepping up as role models in their communities. Meet the impressive bunch of students.
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Student leaders from schools across Lismore have shared their aspirations, from lofty to lighthearted – and it’s clear these kids are ones to watch.
Here’s why they stepped up, what they are passionate about and their hopes are for the future.
Lismore South Public School
Natasha McKee – school captain
Being a role model for the younger kids is a serious job for Lismore South Public School year six student and school captain Natasha McKee.
“At school I am always encouraging younger students to make the right decisions,” she said.
“I help organise school events, lead assemblies, represent the school in activities in public by leading by example as role models and taking charge in thanking people for their time and help if needed.”
Like the other school leaders at Lismore South, she gave a speech at the school assembly before being elected.
“I worked so hard on my speech that I memorised it,” she said.
“I wanted to be school captain because it was my dream since I was young. The other school captains inspired me to become one.”
Natasha said she wanted to make the most out her remaining time at primary school.
“I wanted to go off to high school with a sense of pride after helping out,” she said.
“One of my goals is to make kindergarten students feel welcomed and safe at school.”
Ellison Orion – school captain
Stepping up and “not being scared of making big decisions” is what being a school captain is all about for year 6 student Ellison Orion.
“I want to make a positive impact in this school before I leave for high school,” he said.
“I wanted to be school captain because I want to encourage students of all ages to make the best choices of their primary school time.
“Some of my passions at school are sport, helping other students and trying to make this school a better learning environment.
“One of my goals this year is improving my handwriting and athleticism.”
Ariel Ryder – vice-captain
Leaving the school a better place before high school is year 6 student Ariel Ryder’s goal as vice-captain.
“Being a good leader and role model, helping run assemblies and helping younger students, for example helping kindergarten transition into big school,” she said.
Ariel’s passions are PE and history, and she originally wanted to be a sports captain.
“But my teacher pushed me to go for school captain because she thought it would suit me better and get me more involved in the school,” she said.
Ben Barter – vice-captain
Helping others and being a good role model is Ben Barter’s focus as year 6 vice-captain.
“I didn’t go for vice-captain but I think vice-captain fits me more. I pursued captain because I wanted to be a role model for others and help others,” he said.
As vice-captain, Ben said he listens to other people's ideas and tries to put them in place to help make this school a better learning environment for students coming through.
Ben’s goals this year are to improve his English, math and PE skills.
Cruz Robinson – sports captain
“Helping out in the sports shed, leading war cries and leading by example with sportsmanship” are some of the important jobs for sports captain Cruz Robinson.
“I've always wanted to be a sports captain because other sports captains inspired me and I always wanted to lead a war cry,” the year 6 student said.
Cruz is passionate about sports, PE and learning new games to play.
“My goal this year is to improve my skill in rugby league to help me tackle people bigger than me on the field,” he said.
Lexi Somerville – sports captain
Lexi Somerville, year 6, said she volunteered to be captain because it suited her interests and she thought it was a good opportunity.
“It involves leading the war cries at sporting events, and making sure everyone is getting involved especially the ones that aren't usually,” she said.
“My passions at school are sports, writing and reading.
“One goal for this school year is improving my math knowledge.”
Logan Adamson – School Representative Council leader
Playing soccer with the boys isn’t the only thing year 6 Logan Adamson enjoys at school.
Logan is responsible for coming up with ideas for fundraisers and organising the events.
“I wanted a leadership position and when this opportunity came up I took the chance,” he said.
“One goal for me this year is to make the most primary school before leaving to high school.”
Lucia Bartolo – sports captain
Lucia Bartolo, year 6, said she leads war cries and helps younger students when they are confused about games and rules.
“I decided to go for it because I thought it would be fun and get me out of my comfort zone,” she said.
“My passions at school are art and writing stories.
“One of my goals is to finish primary school and a high school and have fun.”
Michael Hammond – house captain
Encouraging good sportsmanship and helping in the sports shed are some of the important jobs for year 6 student Michael Hammond as house captain.
“Sports is one of my passions and I thought it would really suit me,” he said.
Michael, who also enjoys maths, said: “One of my goals this year is improving my skill and abilities even more at sport.”
Mia Smith – Student Representative Council leader
Mia Smith, year 6, said she took on her role as an SRC leader because she wanted to listen to opinions and ideas to make the school a better place.
“My passions at school are sport and reading,” she said.
“One of my goals this year is to get camp to happen three times in one year rather than just one.”
Woodburn Public School
Alma Paungreen – school captain
To be elected as a school leader, year 6, Alma Paungreen presented a speech in front of the school and she continues to speak at assemblies.
Alma helps other students and acts as a role model by encouraging, supporting and showing respect for students and teachers.
“When it was time to prepare my speech I got really nervous,” she said.
“I wanted to be school captain since I heard it was a thing and by the time I was in year 5 I was super excited that I might get to become a leader and help out our school.
“I earned this position by being safe, respectful and engaging all throughout my years at primary school.”
Alma said she has “a lot of passions”, including maths, which she could work at “for days”.
But she particularly loves sport and made it all the way to the regional soccer competition.
“And I made it to the state comp for AFL. I also love art and music,” she said.
Alma’s key goal this year is to help students “enjoy and learn kindly” and to ensure the school is a respectful place.
“I also want to become the best school captain I can be and be there for the kids,” she said.
Amelia Simpson – school captain
Woodburn Public School captain Amelia Simpson pursued her position to help her peers.
“I love being the person to look up to,” she said.
“I made a speech about how I will make our school a better place for all by creating learning spaces and helping our school.
“I wanted kindy all up to year 6 to look up to their school captain. I also love to arrange events and more.”
Amelia speaks at assemblies and represents the school at Anzac Day and other occasions.
She enjoys sport, English and writing.
“I am an amazing runner and so much more,” she said.
“I’m so good at persuasive and creative writing. I am not amazing at maths but I give it a go anyway.”
Amelia’s goal this year is to perform well in her running events and to help her peers.
Zac O’Rourke – vice-captain
Year 6 student Zac O’Rourke wants to make it “more fun to get out of bed in the morning and come to class with a smile” this year.
“The reason I chose to be vice-captain is so I could have an important role in my last year of primary school and to represent the school in big events,” he said.
“My passions at school are drawing and art/character design and also sport and fitness.”
Taylor Hancock – vice-captain
Year 6 student Taylor Hancock said previous leaders gave her “courage to get up on that stage and say why I can lead this school”.
Taylor is trying to lead the school to a better future “by picking up the rubbish and teaching the students how to respect who they talk to”.
“I also want to help all the kids find a new friend if they are being left out,” she said.
Taylor’s passion at school is sport.
“I especially like swimming and running,” she said.
“I also like when we get to read in class. My favourite subject would be music and art, the teachers make those subjects very fun.”
Tregeagle Public School
Liam Lane-Winkler – school captain
Helping out the younger kids and teachers is an important responsibility for year 6 school captain Liam Lane-Winkler.
“I wanted to be school captain because I wanted to help younger students enjoy primary school,” he said.
Liam is passionate about soccer, touch football and basketball.
“I’ve also got many goals for this year, including achieving age champion at the Athletics Carnival and getting into the finals in our PSSA soccer knockout competition,” he said.
“Some goals I’ve already achieved this year were getting to zone in cross country, and the most exciting one has been getting voted as school captain.”
Madison Hayes – vice-captain
Young leader Madison Hayes said she decided to run for vice-captain “to represent my school in the most respectful way possible”.
Being on the student representative council, Madison supports younger students, staff and helps out the events, wellbeing, sports and environment teams.
“As a leader, I want to encourage fellow students to achieve their goals and help them become more involved in school activities,” the year 6 student said.
Madison is passionate about art, music, geography, maths and English.
“I love doing sports including soccer, dance, netball, touch footy, cross country and athletics,” she said.
“My goals for this year are to improve my public speaking skills and grow my confidence.”
Aaliyah Andrews – vice-captain
Year 6 student Aaliyah Andrews decided to become a leader to help “guide fellow students to strive to do their best and pursue their goals” while representing her school.
Aaliyah enjoys English and maths, but is especially passionate about sport.
“Some of my favourite sports include touch footy, soccer, netball and dance,” she said.
“My goal for this year is to receive the Year 6 Sports Award.”
Lucia Ryan – school captain
School captain Lucia Ryan, year 6, has quite a few jobs to handle, including helping with junior landcare and recycling, pitching in to organise events with teachers and supporting student wellbeing in the playground.
“I decided to run for school captain and be a leader because I wanted to represent my school in a helpful and respectful way,” she said.
Lucia has already achieved one of her goals this year, reaching zone for cross country.
“I am also working at achieving age champion at the school athletics carnival and hopefully will achieve the school sports award at the end of the year,” she said.
Clunes Public School
Tylana Keane – school captain
Tylana Keane was inspired by her year six buddy and former school captain to become a leader way back in kindergarten.
“I wanted to follow in her footsteps and thought it would be fun” she said.
“It’s a great school to come to everyday and one important reason for that is the amazing leadership team that we are a part of at Clunes Public School.”
Tylana has a passion for art and a flair for creativity.
Seth Baker was unsure whether he should nominate for school captain, but he decided to give it his best shot – and looking back now he is proud to have put himself forward.’
The year 6 student is a talented mathematician and basketballer, who has represented his school in the NSW PSSA Basketball State Championships.
“We are proud of our roles and proud of the positive impacts we are having on our school,” he said.
“We look forward to improving our school in the most positive way.”
Seth has had the opportunity to attend a Halogen Leadership conference in Brisbane, recite poetry at the Clunes Community Anzac Commemoration and organise dress up day fundraisers for the school and charities.
Eltham Public School
Ava Mackie – school leadership team
School leader Ava Mackie works with teachers to help make decisions in class and acts as “a role model to the younger kids”.
“I wanted to be a leader so I could help the little kids and help the teachers,” she said.
“I love being a leader because it has given me a lot of fun opportunities.”
Ava enjoys hanging out her best friend and playing soccer, as well as writing, spelling and art.
“My goal for next year is to become an expert at soccer,” she said.
Abi Kuch – school leadership team
Year 5 student Abi’s leadership role includes helping run the tuck shop, leading assemblies and getting involved in running school events.
“I wanted to help my school and be a role model for younger students,” she said.
“I like PE and drama the most because it involves fun activities.
“My goals this year are to improve in handwriting and mathematics.”
Will Kelly – school leadership team
Year 4 student Will Kelly said he joined the leadership team to “help run the tuck shop and assemblies”.
“I like to play soccer and dodge ball and I also like project based learning,” he said.
“My goals for this year are to try and attend school every day, plus to get better at handwriting and reading.”
Kingston Tan – school leadership team
Kingston Tan, year 3, works at the tuck shop and assists younger students in his leadership position, while acting as a role model.
“This year I want to make my writing neater, improve my learning, set an example for younger students,” he said.
Kingston joined the team to help his younger sisters at school and he has also been fundraising alongside teachers.
He enjoys playing dodge ball, handball and soccer with his friends.
St John’s College
Cory McInnes and Lilly Munce
School captains Cory McInnes and Lilly Munce joined the leadership team this year with a focus on commitment, goal-setting and serving their community.
Cory said he has been involved in recreating traditions and showcasing the benefits of relationships and teamwork.
“I have learnt that I am capable of things I never knew I could achieve,” he said.
“I have a strong connection with the younger students and feel that they look up to me and I enjoy being a role model.
“I hope to study sports science while playing rugby. The Shute Shield comp’ is currently in my sights.”
Lilly said working with groups like the Social Justice Committee made her aware of her ability to organise and inspire others to “serve and stand in solidarity with the poor and marginalised”.
“The highlights of being a leader have been achieving collective goals, creating a community of care and building stronger relationships with staff and students,” she said.
“Leadership is about balance and not taking yourself seriously all of the time.
“Eventually I would like to work in the medical field, paediatrics. Prior to this I would like to continue my quest to compete internationally in the pentathlon.
“I have reached my Australian representative goals and am aiming for higher international competitions.”
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