The Student Leadership program at Aquinas College is designed on the premise that all students have leadership potential and are called to become leaders by being active participants in the life and work, not only in the College community, but also broader society. In particular, boys are called to demonstrate the type of leadership exemplified by Jesus and Edmund Rice in recognition of our identity as a Catholic School for Boys in the Edmund Rice Tradition.
The purpose of the student leadership program is to provide leadership experiences to all boys in the College which provide opportunities to develop the skills and character traits of good leadership - collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication. All of which are vital to the formation of good men in the 21st Century.
We strongly believe all boys who uphold the College Values daily and demonstrate good behaviour, dedication, and effort in all aspects of their school life and meet the demands of a variety of challenges set at incremental levels of difficulty across the Junior, Middle, and Senior School should be acknowledged for their effort, organisation and commitment to self-improvement by being recognised as a Student Leader within their school.
Once boys have completed the process to become a Student Leader, they become a member of one of the many Student Leadership Councils within the College. These councils provide a unique and authentic opportunity for boys to develop their leadership skills whereby students:
contribute to a decision-making process that promotes positive Aquinas culture,
experience the skills of collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, communication, planning, and administration skills,
participate in the processes to instigate change for the betterment of the College,
provide a student voice to be heard by teachers,
learn to be an active citizen.
Junior School
Middle School
Senior School
Junior School
The Junior School Leadership (JSL) program for our Year 5 and 6 students
incorporates a Christian Service Learning dimension. The focus areas include
promoting a responsibility of leadership with and without a title, Christian Service-Learning,
Student Leadership and Peer Support.
The dynamic model runs across five school terms, commencing at the start of
Term 3 in Year 5, and culminating in all students having had the opportunity to
be part of the Junior School Leadership Program by the start of term 3 in Year
6 of their schooling.
We believe in making leadership opportunities accessible to all members of
our community and assist them to transition into high school with practices
pertinent to their formation as young men.
Middle School
Middle School, students take part in a dynamic program run across five school terms — commencing at the start of Term 2, Year 8 and finishing at the end of Term 2, Year 9.
The purpose of this program is to make leadership experiences accessible to all students and to help them develop skills and practices which are vital to their formation as young men.
The Middle School Leadership Program is attainable by all those who uphold the College values and meet the expectations surrounding behaviour, academic rigour, attendance and punctuality, as well as a variety of holistic challenges that the College will provide. These experiences will develop leadership skills, support their personal development and enrich the College community.
As students’ progress through the College, they will encounter an array of opportunities to accept leadership roles, including supporting the day-to-day organisation of the school. It is hoped that every student who takes part will achieve the status of Middle School Leader by the end of Term 3, Year 9.
This is not a position that comes with duties and responsibilities but rather is a public and formal acknowledgement that the student has completed the Middle School Leadership Program and therefore has developed their leadership skills, experience and capacity.
Achieving the Middle School leader status is a public and formal acknowledgement that the student has completed the Middle School Leadership Program and therefore has developed their leadership skills, experience and capacity. From here students are able to get involved in a variety of Middle School councils such as character, student voice, arts, Tuatha Cup, academic and wellbeing and engage in programs such as the Junior School academic mentoring program where they can have authentic opportunities to practice their leadership skills.
Senior School
The Senior School Student Leadership Program calls Aquinas College students to become active participants in the life and works of the College community, as well as the broader society. As active participants, they are called to demonstrate leadership as exemplified by Jesus and Edmund Rice. This rigorous program runs across Years 10 and 11, culminating in some students’ achievement of the title of ‘Senior School Prefect’ in Year 12.
The purpose of this program is to develop the skills of leadership through experiences, rather than acknowledge boys for their leadership. The program is open to all boys who uphold the College values on a daily basis and meet all expectations relating to behaviour, academic rigour, attendance and punctuality, as well as a variety of holistic challenges that the College will provide for them. The team leadership challenge requires boys to use the skills of initiative, self-determination and collaboration to design a project - such as the running of Men’s Health Week, inter-house competition, starting a club or mentoring younger students - as a way to express their talents and develop skills useful throughout their journey through life. Developing leaders nominate themselves to a council, aligned with College structures, who all share the aim of developing “student leadership of the students, by the students and for the students" to ensure the Mission of the College for the Present and the Future. Some students will continue their journey and apply to be a Council or College Captain.
