By Mikayla van Loon
It was a day of courage, heart and determination at Gladesville Primary School’s leadership day on Thursday 31 August, with students taking the lead to organise the morning.
As a Lighthouse Leader In Me school, leadership plays an important part in the students’ education, following the now eight habits of highly effective people.
Showcasing what they had learnt from Foundation to Grade 6, each class contributed to highlighting their leadership skills to parents, friends and teachers.
Acting Principal Jeffrey De Villa said the day was a wonderful opportunity “to celebrate the Leader In Me journey with the wider community”.
Admittedly arriving in term two himself without much knowledge of the Leader In Me structure, Mr De Villa said it had been incredible for him to learn and see the habits in daily life.
“I’m still continuing to learn more about the Leader In Me framework. What I’ve learned is all schools that I’ve been to foster a set of values, whether it be with respect, resilience, and teamwork,” he said.
“What I’ve learned is that Leader In Me is more than just a set of school values. It’s about students reaching their potential and nurturing their potential and guiding them in a world that’s constantly changing.”
Hearing from the students themselves about what leadership means to them, the answers were all individualised.
Grade 4 students Harley and Jayden were two of the first to share what leadership meant to them.
“Leadership is in everyone, you may not be able to see it but it’s in there,” Harley said.
“Someone could be upset but when you cheer them up, a spark of fire will light up and the strength of leadership will be hard like a roar.”
“Leadership to me is being kind. It should always be easy to find. A leader keeps a protective cover to everyone’s sister or brother,” Jayden said.
Grade 5 and 6 students Jayden, Zoe, Gwen, Fletcher and Max also shared examples of people who have shown leadership throughout their lives.
Ranging from Syrian refugee and Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini to Anh Do, telling of the human power and strength to overcome challenges to lead with compassion and kindness.
With a few shaky starts and some nerves, each of the student’s pushed through, making their teachers incredibly proud like Elise Brown.
“You nearly want to cry when you see them get up there and just their confidence and they’re not scared,” she said.
“I don’t know if it’s the habits that set them up or the school community that supports them but they get up there and it’s like everything else washes away.
“They are these fantastic leaders who just share their voice and what our school means to them and what Leader In Me means for them so it’s amazing to see.”
Planned entirely by the Student Voice Team and the Lighthouse Leaders, Ms Brown said it gave the students the freedom to show how much they have learnt, how they can lead and how the habits protrude in everyday life.
“The whole day is about them and it’s about their leadership. It’s about the school community all coming together and it’s their voice. It’s who we are at Gladesville Primary School,” Ms Brown said.
