South coast’s school leaders share their hopes for 2023 and beyond
School leaders from Bega to Batemans Bay are making their marks this year, whether it be primary school captains leading the young students or older high school kids finishing their education. Meet the future leaders here.
The South Coast News
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Students in both primary and high schools along the south coast are demonstrating the kind of leaders they can be.
Whether it be school captains, sporting house captains, volunteering and more, young students from Bega to Batemans Bay are highlighting what it means to represent their schools.
Here are some of these young leaders making strides in their educations:
Josephine Eberle – St Peters Anglican College Broulee
Year 12 student Josephine Eberle ran for school captain because she always thought of herself as a leader.
“I really enjoy being able to help others and encourage overall participation and support within group environments and I have found through previous leadership experiences that these aspects are extremely important,” she said.
During her final year of education, Ms Eberle has been working toward creating an environment which is supportive for all students.
“This kind of challenge would emphasise the importance of participation rather than performance, which I personally find extremely important,” she said.
Ms Eberle has also been working at creating more student-led activities, like fun runs and fundraisers.
“I would love the opportunity to bring the school as a whole together more,” she said.
When she finishes Year 12 at the end of this year, Ms Eberle plans on attending university before getting into biomedical engineering.
“I am very interested in the medical field, so if I was able to have the opportunity I would love to study medicine or paramedicine, that would be great,” she said.
Jackson Sale – Moruya High School
Year 12 student Jackson Sale became school captain for Moruya High School this year as he wanted to give back to his school.
“I wanted to have a positive influence on staff, students, and the community,” he said.
“For the past five years that I have attended Moruya High School, I have been provided many opportunities to develop both academically and personally.”
Mr Sale said he had spent the year working toward creating initiatives which would help the school community.
“We plan to successfully carry out fundraising initiatives such as an Education Week fundraiser and an associated trivia event which will allow our school to interact more with the broader community,” he said.
When Mr Sale finishes Year 12, he hopes to pursue physics at university and eventually work in the industry.
“I believe that studying physics will provide me with the knowledge and skills to make a positive impact on the world,” he said. “I am excited about the opportunity to learn from experts, engage in cutting-edge research, and to make new discoveries.”
Eleanor Wilden – Moruya High School
Eleanor Wilden is another school captain for Moruya High School, with the Year 12 student saying she ran for the position for two main reasons.
Ms Wilden said the two reasons for running was to challenge herself and create opportunities for the student body.
“I was excited by the prospect of representing the student voice and creating changes for their benefit,” she said.
“My main goal was and is to create opportunities which excite students about their education and get them involved in their learning.”
Through her final year, Ms Wilden has been working to have vertical gardens installed around the school to increase the vibrancy and colour on the grounds.
“In addition to this we will be installing a giant game of Connect 4 near our basketball courts,” she said. “A longer term goal we are working on is to change our junior schools uniform so that boys and girls wear the same shirts, creating a unisex uniform which will be more comfortable for gender nonconforming students.”
After she finishes her HSC, Ms Wilden hopes to have a gap year, before attending university in 2025.
“I want to travel pretty much anywhere I can afford to,” she said. “Afterwards I plan to attend university, although I am not entirely set on which university or which degree but most likely I hope to go to University of Sydney or University of Queensland to complete a degree in a STEM field.”
St Bernard’s Primary School leadership cohort
Eurobodalla Shire primary school St Bernards at Batehaven is home to a group of young kids who are already born leaders.
School captain Isla Blaas, from Year 6, said it was the idea of helping others which made her want to become a school leader.
“You become known as a leader for helping others where you can, which is one of the reasons why I wanted to become a school leader,” she said.
It’s an ideology held by Ms Blaas’ leadership peers, with student representative council (SRC) member Molly Ward noting the skills in helping others is something she plans on using after she graduates school.
“When I am older and I am working, I think being a leader at school will help me lead people and also help people out in the community,” she said.
SRC member Lawson Melton said he too was eager to use the leadership skills he had learnt at school out in the community.
“I think being a leader means you like to help people,” he said. “So I will be helping people where I can even when I finish school.”
Kiera O’Sullivan, another member of the leadership cohort, said she became a leader to do more for the school and to challenge herself.
“I want to become a leader when I go to high school,” she said. “Because even if you don’t get the position, it’s still fun and you still meet a lot of people and do a lot of good things for your school.”
Not only has the passion for leadership sparked a wanting to help others, but it has influenced what the students want to do when they graduate.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Kiera O’Sullivan: “I want to be a teacher because I love setting a good example.”
Lavinia Priest: “I want to be a councillor because I think I am kind and I like to cheer people up.”
Hailey Ison: “I want to be an architect because I like nice buildings.”
Caprice Faganello: “I want to be an interior designer because there is a lot you can do inside buildings.”
Lawson Melton: “I want to play for the Melbourne Demons because I love the AFL.”
Hunter Coots: “I want to play professional soccer for Manchester City, but I would also be a chef.”
Keira Atkin: “I want to be an athlete because it makes me happy.”
Bella Lipovsky: “I want to be a professional tennis player because I love tennis.”
Ruby Indon: “I want to be an Olympian because I love watching the Olympics.”
Isla Blaas: “I want to be an actor or singer because I love the performing arts.”
Molly Ward: “I want to be a professional Netball player for the Sydney Swifts because I love Netball and it would be fun.”
Tom Woolacott – Bega Valley Public
Year 6 student and Bega Valley Public school captain Tom Woolacott said he ran for school captain to provide for his student community.
“I have been at Bega Valley Public School since kindergarten and have been able to take advantage of all the great opportunities that are provided by the teachers and school community,” he said. “I felt that to lead the student body would be a great honour and allow me to contribute to the community at a higher level.”
Since becoming school captain, Mr Woolacott has performed in music camps, playing his recorder at the Sydney Opera House and has represented his school at sporting events including cross-country, swimming and athletics.
Despite his duties as school captain, Mr Woolacott said his main goal in 2023 was to simply enjoy his last year of primary school.
Levi Gowing – Bega Valley Public
Another Year 6 student and Bega Valley Public school captain Levi Gowing said he ran for the position to set an example for the younger kids at the school.
“I feel that I set a great example and follow all our school values, I’m always willing to help people and I enjoy taking on leadership roles,” he said.
Since becoming school captain, Mr Gowing has represented his school in various sports, which he said he loved doing.
“It is a great way to meet new people and I represent our school with a positive attitude,” he said.
For Mr Gowing, in 2023, he was most looking forward to representing the school as captain and making as big of a positive impact as he could.
“One of my goals is to make our school a happy place for everyone to enjoy learning,” he said.
Amarni Ludovici – Batemans Bay Public
Year 6 student Amarni Ludovici is the second indigenous school captain at Batemans Bay Public, a fact she is proud of.
“I am also a proud Walbanga woman and am glad to attend Batemans Bay Primary school where I can be in a leadership position that allows me to be a role model to all and for my culture,” she said.
Ms Ludovici said this was one of the reasons why she ran for the position, to allow her to be a role model to younger students.
During her time as school captain, Ms Ludovici has represented the school at various sporting events and said she was extremely passionate about athletics.
“I love my sport and have enjoyed representing the school in lots of sports in recent years,” she said. “A highlight was touch football team which made it through to the final round of the South Coast knockout last year.”
It’s with this passion which Ms Ludovici hopes to use in her future, saying she would love to be a rugby coach when she grows up.
Liam Triffett, Batemans Bay Public
Year 6 student Liam Triffet is also a school captain of Batemans Bay Public school.
He said he ran for the position to set a high example for his peers and be a responsible and caring leader for them.
“I lead students by being a great example and role model,” he said. “I want to grow in confidence and improve my leadership skills.”
Mr Triffett said his time as school captain this year had helped him grow in confidence, which was an outcome he didn’t expect.
“I surprised myself during the selection process for school captain and I’ve been wanting to grow in my confidence through 2023,” he said. “I can be sometimes shy and quiet and being school captain is helping me grow and stretching me in a good way.
“I enjoy learning and also look forward to improving as I head towards high school.”
For Mr Triffet, he plans on becoming an engineer when he finishes high school, as it’s something which has always interested him.
“I’ve always found it interesting,” he said. “I watch videos on YouTube and think that I want to do that.”
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