Mornington, Mentone, Mordialloc school captains share hopes for 2021
We asked schools captains from Moordialloc, Mentone, Mt Eliza, Mornington and Hastings about their 2021 plans. Here is what they told us.
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You can have no doubt the future of our state is bright with a stunning response to Leader and heraldsun.com.au’s call for school captains and leaders from across Melbourne to share their vision for 2021.
And after a year of “you’re on mute” shouted into laptops, elbow bumps and online exams, keeping school spirit alive was no easy task. But now students are back in the classroom and ready to make their mark.
In our third annual special report on Tomorrow’s Leaders, we asked school captains across the length and breadth of metropolitan Melbourne: “What is your vision for your schools community in 2021?”.
Captains of schools across Melbourne’s southeast responded, you can see their photos and words published here.
MORDIALLOC SECONDARY COLLEGE, MORDIALLOC
Lorenzo and Meike
Our vision for Mordialloc Secondary College in 2021 is to further the development and growth of the school, as well as ensuring the college is future proof for the rising student enrolment and technology advancements.
We want to continue our strong connections with our local primary schools and have the college more involved in the community, making sure the schools’ connections with local businesses are strong.
As the wider society deals with the environmental changes within the world, we want to guarantee that our school’s impact is as friendly as possible, implementing sustainable practices across the school and encouraging individual student action in their local community.
Mental health is a major challenge today, and we want to ensure that every student feels that they have access to resources and support for their mental health, as well as enjoying their time within our school community through the expansion and prioritisation of our wellbeing program, including the development of a new wellbeing centre.
Furthermore, we are looking to encourage greater participation in the extra-curricular opportunities offered and include more annual events for our students to participate in, encouraging student involvement in the many lunchtimes clubs offered and maintaining our dedication to supporting all students and their passions.
Finally, in relation to our school’s major building program, we are encouraging student voices to guide the future development of a Senior School precinct, catering for students in Years 10 to 12 including VCE and VCAL.
KILBREDA COLLEGE, MENTONE
Ellie Carter and Laura Mitchell
As a Kildare Ministries School in the Brigidine tradition, we strive to live out our six core values of justice, wonder, courage, hospitality, hope and compassion in our everyday actions.
In collaboration with our Student Leadership team, we have devised our vision for this year; ‘Strength through Wonder’.
We hope to plan initiatives that bring our 2021 core value of ‘Wonder: celebrating all that is good with joy and gratitude’; to life.
By promoting the importance of meaningful connections and relationships with others,
we celebrate all that is good by encouraging others to achieve their goals and follow their passions.
We also take strength from these connections as was witnessed during 2020, which helps us to overcome challenges together.
As college co-captains for 2021, we strive to ensure each individual feels included and valued in our community and that our school motto of ‘Strength and Kindliness’ is always at the forefront of everything we do.
PENINSULA GRAMMAR, MT ELIZA
Darcy Hammond and Billy Armstrong
Our vision for Peninsula Grammar in 2021 and beyond is to build a stronger culture within the school. Something we have both embraced fully at Peninsula is the plethora of opportunities provided. Our hope is that we can encourage students to seize these opportunities wholeheartedly, see the freshness of each day and be charged by possibility. We aim to create a culture that is welcoming to new challenges.
A distinctive pattern among past alumni we’ve spoken to is how many wish that they had embraced everything offered to them. Even now within our cohort many of our fellow peers have voiced regret about not signing up for house swimming or not giving production a go.
It is our dream to see students from all year levels immersing themselves within everything there is to offer, so that no student feels regret at the end of their school career. We hope everybody is able to feel embraced by their peers at these events.
No two students are the same. At Peninsula Grammar we are bound by a shared fervour for learning, but it is our differences that shape this school’s unique identity. We envision a community where differences are worn like our uniform, with pride and assuredness.
A community that welcomes individuality, and fearlessly embraces everyone for who they are. Through this, we aspire to create an atmosphere of warmth and altruism where kindness fills the halls and a genuine concern for others prevails. All it takes is a smile, helping someone carry their books or checking in on a friend to start the ripple of goodwill throughout the school and into the wider community.
We attempt to build an environment where acts of kindness are born out of an authentic drive to help others, and everybody is treated with a level of respect. At the very heart of Peninsula Grammar is a devotion to learning and personal growth and helping to nurture future generations is what keeps this beat alive. Central to Peninsula Grammars philosophy
is aiding students to mature and develop academically, but more importantly as people.
We acknowledge school and academics is not for everyone, however by striving to develop the culture within our school we hope that we can continue to ensure it is a place of learning and personal development in a range of areas. To do this it’s our role to represent the diverse needs of the student body. We take great pride in being given the privilege to voice student concerns and to try to make school an enjoyable place for everybody.
This year we are implementing student forums among different years levels to allow students the opportunity to have their voice. We try to visit as many areas of the school as possible and listen to a range of ideas and people. We believe the best way to lead is to first listen. While we both begun our school journey at Peninsula in kindergarten, it has been a long time since we walked through those gates for the first time. Thus, a lot of the younger year levels concerns have changed. We can’t remember what mattered to us back then which is why we believe it’s so vital to listen in order to understand what we could do for these
year levels.
MENTONE GIRLS’ SECONDARY COLLEGE, MENTONE
Nisha Makam and Lily West
2021, the looming year of our graduation, has finally arrived. We’ve always known that
we would be the so-called ‘Class of 2021’, but now that it’s here, now that we are actual
Year 12s, it’s hard to believe. We should probably be taller.
The same could be said for being school leaders. We’ve wanted to be school captains
since the day we bought our oversized MGSC blazers but now that we have actually
gotten the title, it’s scary to think that it’s time to put our ideas into action.
Especially after the year we’ve just had, what with the catastrophe that 2020 was, the
pressure’s on. It’s time to shake up the system, adapt to what we’ve learned from an
unprecedented pandemic.
Last year was one for many firsts. The first time we learnt virtually, seeing our teacher
through a screen on Google Meet. The first online assessment. The first breakfast to be
eaten during Period 1.
And while we learnt so much as a year level, as a school, as a country – we lost
connection to a community that is so paramount during such formative years.
And so this is where the purpose of us, as school captains of Mentone Girls’ Secondary
College, arises. We’re determined to make 2021 another year of firsts. Our school
deserves a year where we can build a cohesive community again, one which was
impossible in 2020: the year online.
So for 2021, we’re going to be a school. Not six separate year levels, not the Year 12s versus
the world. This year has so much potential to be a year in which we come together,
participate in school events and make this year the best it could be for everybody.
2021 is different. We’ve already held functions such as Year 12 Formal, Year 7 Camp and
the swimming carnival with (touch wood) the likes of Year 7/12 Fancy Dress, the
Athletics Carnival and House Performance to come.
And while these events may not necessarily be ‘firsts’, it’s our opportunity to make these
events a time for the entire school to come together, participate and enjoy common
interests regardless of year level.
It’s time to ourselves with each other again and meet new people, an almost
impossible feat in 2020.
We’re not Year 12 Captains. We’re school captains — representative of the entire school,
a common ground among all year levels. Our purpose isn’t to have a title, it’s to leave a
legacy. We’re not here to be remembered for our names but rather our actions.
And so for 2021 to be everything 2020 should’ve been and more, we’re going to make
Athletics an event for everyone to participate in – whether it be novelty events, dressing
up or even a karaoke stand. We’ve already made House Performance more than it’s ever
been, with music, drama and dance performances.
2021 isn’t the year to cool down and revert to 2019 ways, it’s the year for change. And as
School Captains, we’re determined to leave the legacy of a united community.
MORNINGTON SECONDARY COLLEGE, MORNINGTON
Jertame Williams, Nikola Jerumane, Alyssa Lewis and Nelson Howard
As a part of Mornington Secondary College’s leadership team, we’re proud to represent our school as a group of four captains.
There is always room for improvement and our goal for 2021 is to empower students to share their voices, make changes and influence others to make our school heavily dependent on student voice.
Students, regardless of who they are and what year level they belong to, should feel confident putting forward ideas to change the school for the better.
We’re continuously working with a variety of students and hosting meetings to gather each student’s opinion.
Whether they’re a Year level captain, art captain or a student in the year level, we’ve made ourselves open for communication.
Being active members of school council meetings, attending year level assemblies and running whole school assemblies is where we pitch out our ideas, and incorporate them into our school setting.
Together, we’ve organised events such as Open Night, Anzac and Remembrance Day commemoration services, and been part of a new architectural design for the Year 12 Block. We are currently working together to find a charity for our school community to support.
It is only the start of the year so we’re always on the move to find new opportunities to be involved in.
As the year goes on, we will encourage students, “if they see something, do something” and continue to embody our schools values of, ‘’Respect, Achievement and Community.’’
WESTERN PORT SECONDARY COLLEGE, HASTINGS
Harry Hansen, Steph Harwood, Chantelle Sandy and Brea Whitford
Here at Western Port Secondary College, our senior student leadership team is focusing on many different aspects of the college.
In 2021 we are looking to improve: increased student involvement in decisions around the school, building on the Western Port Way and our CARE values, ‘Community, Achievement, Respect and Engagement’.
As college captains, we lead a large student leadership team (CARE Captains) across Year 7 to 12 and are looking for ways to connect with our broader community throughout the year.
We know our College Principal and teachers have high expectations of us and we have an important role to play in helping every student boost their academic results and show school pride in everything we do.
Together, we will be positive role models throughout this year to showcase the countless opportunities our school has to offer.
FLINDERS CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, TYABB
Isla Shepherd, Joseph Boothroyd, Mia Ararat and Bailey Daffy
As leaders, we hope to ensure that the community feel of Flinders is continued into 2021.
We aspire to further unite the two subsections of our college: junior and senior, intending to bridge the divide between primary and secondary school.
As such, we endeavour to collaborate with student leaders across all year levels, to further connect our college as one school.
In addition, we hope to continue to strengthen the academic culture within our college, hoping to provide more external opportunities for students in a variety of different subject areas.
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