Wagga, Dubbo’s school captains share leadership plans and life after school

Aeronautical engineers, teachers, globetrotters and paramedics are the future plans of today’s school leaders. See the ambitious future’s of Wagga and Dubbo’s school captains.

School leaders across the state’s west have revealed their ambitious plans to change their schools for the better — while also looking to the future.

As students return to face-to-face learning for the first time in months, some of Wagga Wagga and Dubbo’s school leaders are sharing their stories to the community.

Dubbo College Senior Campus Captains

Dubbo College captain, Tamieka Howey, said her teachers are able to focus “purely on the

HSC”, as one of the many reasons she loves her school.

“I also love how much our school focuses on the students’ wellbeing, with numerous staff members available to give support to any student that needs it,” she said.

“Students are the biggest priority and our teachers go above and beyond to help us manage the demands of years 11 and 12.”

The previous Junior School Captain said she was determined to bring her experiences and knowledge to the Senior Campus role: “I want to be a positive influence for my peers

again and act as a voice for anyone who needs it”.

“As this is our last year at school, I really want to make the most of what we have left,” She said.

“Being school captain allows for me to work with my team and help create a positive and inclusive experience for my cohort.”

The school captain said her final year of school would be focused on fun.

“We run FriYAY with a focus on wellbeing at the end of each week,” Tamieka said.

“The Captains and SRC plan fun activities like karaoke or teacher vs student sports at lunchtime and I aim to get as many people involved in the activities as we can.

“Year 11 and 12 is very stressful so we need to remember to take a break + by having a little bit of fun with our peers and a laugh can help reduce some of the stress we have.”

The year 12 student said she was aiming to study a double degree in Primary Teaching and Psychology at Macquarie University, once she graduates this year.

Tamieka has also been working towards a certificate three in Early Childhood Education and

Care: “so when I’m at uni I can work in a childcare centre”.

Meanwhile, her male counterpart, Patrick Nelson, has his focus set on becoming an Aeronautical Engineer.

“With my academic, leadership and sporting commitments this year, I have to be very disciplined and work incredibly hard so, to reward myself, I hope to take a gap year and tour Australia in the fully decked out canopy for off road camping that I am constructing for my Design and Technology major work,” he said.

Patrick said his love for the school comes from seeing the numbers of cultural, sporting and educational events held throughout the year, “which provides us with a good balance”.

“I have always been passionate about giving people a voice, so it felt like a natural progression to apply for school leadership,” he said.

“I always enjoy a chat with new people and I take what I learn from these conversations to give my peers a voice.

“Working with fellow leaders will continue to extend my skills in communication and organisation and give me a better understanding of what it means to be a leader.”

Patrick said he was determined to leave a legacy at the school.

“By offering weekly events, we hope to give students a very enjoyable experience while they face two of the most academically challenging years of school,” he said.

“For us it is also really important to give back to our local community, the Year 12 charity for

this year is the Women’s Refuge which is a vital service that we are proud to support through our fundraisers each term.”

Kooringal High School

Captain Preston Oakman is known for diving head first into everything his school has on offer — from academics to creative and performing arts, Preston loves what his school provides.

“I am able to have the best opportunity to excel,” he said. “I believe I possess the necessary skills and ambitions to lead the excellent school I attend.

“I feel that I was well respected among my peers and the school community.”

Preston’s plan for his captaincy is to focus on increasing the inclusive nature of his school.

“I hope to achieve this by improving access to extra-curricular activities that target some of the more niche enjoyments of the school community,’ he said.

Preston is looking forward to joining the workforce post school life, but hasn’t limited his opportunities by deciding which course he will take up at University.

“I would love to take a year off after school to really see if there’s a particular direction that life wants to take me,” he said.

School Leader, Luke McGowan, said he hoped to create a positive environment and “set a precedent” for the school to be an enjoyable place for all year groups.

“I love the culture that Kooringal High School has,” he said.

“The fact that I can walk around, and I could be stopped by anyone whether it’s a teacher or a student and have a genuine conversation about anything really makes it a good environment to be a part of.

“The way the school bands together for a range of different causes, whether it’s to raise money for charity or for days like Harmony Day and Naidoc Week it makes me proud to be a part of the Kooringal High School Community.”

Luke said he hoped to increase involvement of students in events and “make school a safer and more comfortable environment for every kid that walks through the gates”.

“My plans for after the HSC are to go to university and study for a Bachelor of Education (K-12) and hope to become a secondary education humanities teacher,” he said.

“I hope through that I can carry on the same passions that I have for humanities and culture within the school community through to my role as a teacher and pass that on to the next generation of kids coming through the education system.”

School Captain, Hayley Hinds, is determined to make her school a safe space for all students: “where everyone is welcomed and included”.

“The thing I love most at Kooringal High School are all the extra curricular activities that are offered,” she said. “These in school and out of school activities allow students to meet many new people that share similar interests and passions.

“There is a club or activity to cater for every student in the school, allowing everyone to be part of something that they are interested in ranging from creative arts to academic and on the sport field.”

Hayley said she wanted to be “the voice of the students” in her role as captain.

“It has given me many opportunities to speak up about issues that students face, but can’t speak up for themselves.”

The HSC student and school leader said she hoped to travel the glove in an effort to learn about other cultures “ and myself”.

Wagga High School

Wagga High School Captain, Conrad Eyles, loves the inclusive nature and acceptance his school has to offer.

“The opportunities that the school works hard to give us makes school fun and enhances the learning environment,” he said.

“I ran for school captain to set a positive example to the years below me. I wanted to inspire and facilitate positive growth of young people have help them become the best version of themselves.”

Conrad said he hoped to study Paramedicine at University after finishing his HSC.

But first, he wanted to inspire and support members of the school to make sure their time there was enjoyable.

“I want to roll out new initiatives that help my peers find their passion and allow them to excel at it.”

Wagga High School team: L-R – Maisy Condon (leader), Kipchumba Langat (leader), Thomas Prescott (vice-captain), Conrad Eyles (captain), Leila Wadley (captain), Megan Mundy (vice-captain), Pierre Pastor (leader), Belinda Denison (leader)

Conrad’s peer and fellow School captain Leila Wadley said she loved the wide range of extra-curricular activities and sporting opportunities the school has on offer.

“I wanted to challenge myself to strive to achieve a personal goal,” she said. “I also wanted to introduce a greater sense of school community and create a safe and welcoming space for everyone.”

Leila said she wanted to “enhance school spirit” as one of her main goals as captain.

“I want to provide better communication and focus on mental health, wellbeing and support on offer.”

The HSC students said she wanted to study Physiotherapy at university.

Meanwhile, vice-captain Meg Mundy said he loved how inclusive and supportive the school was “no matter what troubles students are having”.

The school leader said she ran for the job to continue to make more positive changes and become a “role model for younger students”.

The HSC student is looking forward to continuing her studies, specialising in international relations.

vice-captain Tom Prescott said he loved the fact that there were so many great opportunities across school life on offer.

“We are very accepting and supportive of all people within our school,” he said. “I want to see a greater focus on mental health and wellbeing and help to advertise the many different things on offer.”

Meanwhile, Schools leaders Belinda Dennison, Pierre Pastor, Kippy Langat and Maisy Condon said they wanted to support and encourage students, while representing students in the school that did not have a voice.

“We as a leadership team hope to make a presence in the school community and make people feel we are there for them,” Maisy said.

While Kippy said the team wanted to increase participation in sporting and academic events.