LEADERSHIP Taking the lead in weekend intensive
College Prefects have been reminded that “leadership is not a position or a title, it is action and example” during a new two-day initiative to enhance and extend the school leaders.
All 25 Prefects spent a weekend at Jacobs House this year, improving their team-building capabilities, considering leadership strategies and reflecting on their achievements and those still to be accomplished. Overseen by the Director of Character & Leadership, Matt Cortesi, the boys were immersed in workshops and a range of activities, focusing on growing their leadership skills and highlighting the importance of “action and example”. Prefect George Gearry describes the weekend as “a great time for us to reflect on what we’ve achieved in our roles so far this year, and what we plan to achieve”. “We focused particularly on the idea of leaving a legacy and the forms that could take – from the physical change we could make in the school, to less tangible culture shifts we could lead as a group,” he says. George adds that “Mr Cortesi created a great balance of team- building exercises to improve our collaborative leadership abilities with more theoretical workshops, where we considered what we wanted our legacy to be as a Prefect group and how we could make that happen”. It was also fun to spend time with the rest of the Prefect group,
“Kendall personifies leadership and courage as someone willing to step up to make a difference and benefit others,” Matt says. “Her message was a fantastic way to wrap up the weekend.” “For the first time, we gathered our Prefects together for an intensive ‘Prefects Weekend In’ so that the boys could learn from each other and spend some focused time on student leadership.” Thomas Stephens
many of whom had been friends throughout their time at College. The weekend featured team- building games and leadership workshops and strategies while underlining the importance of a collaborative approach. The boys also welcomed St Margaret’s College Prefects to a dinner in the Dining Hall with guest speaker Kendall Flutey. The 2019 Young New Zealander of the Year and co-founder and Chief Executive of financial education platform Banqer shared her own unique journey with the student leaders.
College Issue 41 2021
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