On 21st November, the 2018 Prefects Elect participated in a Leadership Day to assist with planning for next year and team bonding. Caylem Weeks, 2018 Deputy Head Boy, and Chloe Saunders, 2018 Head Girl, share their reflection about the day below.
As a cohort already renowned for being the ‘first’ to experience many luxuries within the school, it only made sense that the prefect elects for 2018 were to be the first to see the replacement of what had previously been known as Leadership Camp, with the new and improved, Leadership Day.
This change carried with it an underlying sense of trepidation but above all else, a bubbling excitement from our Leadership Team, to take the first step into what would undoubtedly shape up to be a year full of innovation, collaboration and fun.
Reverend Deeny began the day, anointing us with oil, blessing us and asking that we may carry out our duties with strength and unity. The room could not help but feel special and significant, as we came to truly understand the responsibility we had been entrusted with. This deep desire to serve not only our cohort, but the wider Peter Moyes community to the best of our ability, most definitely set the tone for the rest of the day. We heard from previous School Leaders, our Heads of House, the School’s Chaplains and our Senior School Counsellor, trying our best to absorb their own leadership prowess, hanging to their every word as they provided us with advice which would undoubtedly serve us well throughout our time as school leaders and well into the future.
It was then time for our creativity to run wild as we broke off into separate sub-committees, each delegated with its own important duty and as I sat at the end of the brainstorming period watching the showcases brought forth by the committees, I was struck by the creativity and passion we all shared. We had clearly begun to form a vision for what we wished to make of our last year and even better? Our visions and hopes for next year were clearly aligning.
The beach ‘Survivor’ activity also gave us the chance to work cohesively with each other, pitting two teams against each other in different challenges, all of which required flexibility, communication and patience, but perhaps more importantly it proved an opportunity for us all to let our hair down and understand how enjoyable and rewarding being a leader can be.
Leadership Day was thoroughly enjoyed by all and proved a fantastic experience for our 2018 leaders. The day would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of our wonderful teachers who helped the day to run smoothly. Their support and guidance is always invaluable and greatly appreciated.
Written by Caylem Weeks (2018 Deputy Head Boy) and Chloe Saunders (2018 Head Girl)