Student Leadership Forum

Meehan Range Cluster, Tasmania: Geilson Bay High School, Rose Bay High School, Cambridge Primary School, North Lindisfarne Primary School, Lindisfarne Primary School, Montagu Bay Primary School, Richmond Primary School, Risdon Vale Primary School and Warrane Primary School

By Greg Sawyer, Co-Principal, Rose Bay High School

Participants

Six students each from seven of the nine cluster schools attended the forum – two students from Years 4, 5 and 6 in the primary schools and two students from Years 7, 8 and 9 in the two high schools – a total of 42 students. The schools represented were: Geilston Bay High School, Lindisfarne Primary School, Montagu Bay Primary School, North Lindisfarne Primary School, Richmond Primary School, Rose Bay High School and Warrane Primary School.

Five teachers from four of the schools attended and a number of parents attended for parts of the morning.

The Deputy Mayor of the City of Clarence, Alderman Jock Campbell, was to open the forum but, unfortunately, withdrew at the last minute. The Coordinating Principal of the Meehan Range Cluster, Mr Stephen Mannering, attended and opened the forum in the absence of Mr Campbell.

Michael Smith, a former student of Rose Bay High School, Vice President of the Elizabeth College Student Representative Council and Jobnet VET Student of 2005, addressed the forum, outlining his leadership experiences.

Ms Angela Goldsmith, the Coordinator of the Clarence Council Youth Network Advisory Council, also attended the forum.

Helen Hortle, Karen Reid, Martin Hawes, Arizo Iris and a work experience student from the Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning attended to facilitate the ruMAD? workshops.

Student Leadership Forum

The forum began with a welcome from Prue Webster and Ryan Butterworth, Year 9 students from Rose Bay High School, and they introduced the guest speakers, Mr Stephen Mannering and Mr Michael Smith.

The Leadership Forum then proceeded with three workshop sessions. For the first and second sessions, students were able to choose two out of three workshops in which to participate. The workshops offered were: What is a leader? – The Leadership Challenge, run by Mr Greg Sawyer; Leadership opportunities in our schools – what are we doing well?, run by Mrs Kim Kay; and ruMAD? (Are you making a difference), run by representatives from the Tasmanian Centre for Global Learning.

The third session was run in four groups and was facilitated by the four Year 9 students from the two high schools. The sessions were entitled What activities can we do together as students in the Meehan Range Cluster?, and What activities/ideas/focus could we include in a forum in 2006?. Students from each group then shared their ideas with the whole group.

All students completed a simple evaluation form prior to lunch, and were presented with a Certificate of Participation prior to leaving.

Proposed goals and outcomes

The forum aimed to:

• foster and encourage school cluster activities for students
• improve leadership skills and knowledge
• improve awareness of leadership programs in schools and the local and global communities
• encourage students to take a lead in activities that enable students to make a difference in their school and/or in the local or global community
• begin the planning process for further forums, both within schools and across the cluster of schools for 2006.

Evaluation

Judging by the evaluation forms, all of the students enjoyed the activities and found them valuable and worthwhile. They felt that all of the workshops provided them with skills and ideas that they could take back to their schools, as well as help them to become leaders. All were keen to have further forums in the future, and provided some practical ideas for those events.

The teachers who attended the forum recognised the value of the experience for their students, and offered their services in the organisation of a forum for next year, even suggesting that one be held each term to enable more students to be involved. The high level of skills gained by the students, and their outstanding participation in activities and discussion, supported this suggestion.

The Year 9 students who addressed the forum and facilitated the final workshops demonstrated the qualities required to be effective leaders in the school and local community. All of these students indicated that the opportunity provided by this forum helped them with their confidence, with leadership skills and with ideas for leading activities in their schools and in the wider community.

Recommendations from the forum will be tabled at a Board Meeting of Cluster School Principals.