Nurturing Our Future Boarding Leaders
Aimee Deane’s Journey with the Emerging Boarding Leaders Program
From early 2023 to mid-2024, Boarding Coordinator Aimee Deane participated in the Australian Boarding Schools Association Emerging Boarding Leaders program, aiming to enhance her leadership skills and contribute positively to the Santa Maria boarding community. The program included mentorship, professional learning, career coaching, and a project task designed to improve the lives of boarders.
The Challenge of Choosing a Project Focus
Given the broad range of possibilities, deciding on a project focus was challenging. However, I identified a need for meaningful leadership opportunities among junior boarders, as existing roles were only available to Year 12 students. This prompted the creation of the Aspiring Leaders Program. This pilot program was launched for students in Years 7 to 11, spanning 12 months over two academic years. The goal was to foster leadership skills and community involvement among younger boarders through hands-on experience in various aspects of boarding and community service.
Designing the Aspiring Leaders Program
The program was designed with a multifaceted approach, structured around term-specific tasks aimed at personal growth and enhancing the boarding environment. Leadership, to me, is about stepping up to make a positive difference in your community. With this in mind, I encouraged boarders to participate in the program by appealing to their desire to contribute rather than through traditional application processes. This approach resulted in 21 boarders volunteering to join the program.
Early Initiatives: Sports Equipment and Costume Collections
The Aspiring Leaders began by focusing on the sports equipment inventory of each House, ensuring that all items were safe, usable, and properly stored. This task not only improved the availability of sports equipment but also emphasised the importance of physical activity in daily life. The leaders also took on the task of organising the boarding House costume collections, collaborating with College staff to replenish and distribute items for themed dinners. We love a dress-up night at boarding!
Fostering Bonding and Recreation
Another task was sorting through each House’s collection of games and puzzles, which the Aspiring Leaders approached with enthusiasm. This activity not only ensured that the games were complete and well-distributed but also provided an opportunity for the leaders to bond and unwind. Additionally, the leaders designed and distributed a recreation survey, using the results to plan an activity tailored for their year groups. The Year 11s chose to go for dinner together in Fremantle, the Year 10s opted for a hike with Maccas afterwards, and the Years 8 and 9 boarders chose to include their Aquinas friends and went to Bounce and held a games night, respectively.
Supporting Senior Leaders and Building Community
Throughout the year, the Aspiring Leaders supported the Year 12 leaders with their initiatives, fostering a sense of community and mentorship across different year levels. They assisted with supervising the mural production, promoted Coolock Cup activities, and helped with themed dinners. The Aspiring Leaders also created the Coolock Cup Recognition Box, allowing boarders to nominate peers for demonstrating boarding values of trust, respect and kindness and earning points for their Coolock Cup House.
A Successful Program with Lasting Impact
Thank you for sharing your experience, Aimee. The program has been a resounding success, offering the younger boarders a platform to develop leadership skills and make tangible contributions to the boarding community. We hope the program will continue to empower and inspire the future leaders in our boarding community.
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Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
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