2013 Annual Review

GENERAL REPORT MRS PAULINE HARVEY-SHORT ASSOCIATE DEAN AND YEAR 12 COORDINATOR

NURTURING LEADERSHIP

‘Leadership is learned behaviour that becomes unconscious and automatic over time … Many people wonder how leaders know how to make the best decisions … The process of making these decisions comes from an accumulation of experiences and encounters with a multitude of different circumstances, personality types and unforeseen failures.’ (Glen Llopis, Forbes Magazine, 2013)

The Student Council worked diligently as a team to craft the School motto for the year and the Head Girls delivered the motto of ‘Embrace the new, link the blue’ to the School at their induction in February. These words embodied their goals and established their modus operandi for the year. To realise these goals, the Student Council established and maintained a positive and responsive conduit between the student body and the School, where views and ideas were conveyed and discussed at meetings and outcomes communicated. The Suggestion Box provided often entertaining commentary about the desires of different year levels ranging from the awarding of academic pockets to combining GrammarNet and Moodle.

The year 2013 provided the Year 12s with such experiences, encounters, personality types and failures as well as successes. Steered by Head Girls Elizabeth Redmond and Sophie Weir, the Student Council very ably embraced their goals of grade integration, innovative ideas and School spirit to take the cohort on a memorable journey. This journey was instigated in January with the Student Council Conference where the elected leaders of the School bonded through discussions, shared physical experiences and reflective moments. Biro (2013) believes that leadership can be ‘acquired, honed and perfected’ and that each leader draws on a tool kit to enable these leadership talents to shine. These tools include emotional intelligence, continuous learning, contextualising, inspiration, honesty, kindness and respect, collaboration, and an awareness of the collective’s goals.

P / 16

BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 2013 Annual Review