Student Leadership Team
This Article was written by Zanelle Awinyo, Year 11
The start of a new school year can feel exciting, nerve wracking or even uncertain. Last half-term there were a range of events held at school and changes made within the student leadership team; this article is to highlight the main ones. Firstly, we would like to introduce your new student leadership team.
David Vellinga has taken the title of Head Boy this year. He will be in charge of the Student Council as well as the wellbeing of the whole school.
Renee Grima has taken the title of Head Girl this year. She will be in charge of all prefects and lead the team, making sure they’re on task.
As Head Boy and Head Girl, David and Renee will be managing all other student leadership teams, such as prefects, ambassadors, and student council. They will be our school representatives, responsible for sharing the ideas of students and making sure student life is the best it can be.
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Ava Silbury has taken on the role of Deputy Head Girl, and she will also be the school’s first digital representative. This means she will be managing the digital representation of students through Kcdspeaks and other platforms. In addition to this, she will be the student graphic designer; creating posters for events, managing social media, and designing the newspaper layout.
Anaik Gil has taken on the roles of Deputy Head Boy and Head of Societies. This means he works with students to see what subjects/career paths they are interested in in order to arrange a society for that career. His role as head of societies encourages students to enrich their learning beyond the classroom as societies focus on more directly career related projects.
Overall our deputies this year will be responsible for managing the student council in addition to their individual duties.
It is important to remember that your ideas can make a difference. For every year group there are two representatives on the student council. If you want to see change in the school, speak to your representatives in person or send them an email. Previous accomplishments by student council members have been reducing single use plastic, adding more shade in the field area and establishing a volleyball team.
“The best way for us to get an idea of what the students are looking for is going to be through the student council because if they can speak to their representatives, the representatives can speak to us, and we can get something to happen.” - David Vellinga
Since the student leadership team won’t be able to meet with every single student, they’re looking to have a more proactive student council through the suggestions of each year group. So remember to email your year group’s student council for any ideas or improvements you would like to see implemented at the school.
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This year we will be having four prefect roles. Our prefects will be offering guidance and support to other students in accordance with their role descriptions. In addition to this, prefects will also be helping in the organisation of activities and communicating student needs to staff.
Fraser Hallatt will not only be assisting students in transitioning between KS3 and GCSE while picking optional subjects, he will also be helping ease the transition from GCSE to A-level or IB. As a transition prefect, Fraser will be in charge of informing students about the courses, option pathways and giving tips on deciding what to choose.
(For more information on pathways in relation to career options we have Miss Morgan as our official career counsellor who you can contact at: cmorgan@kentcollege.ae)
Lydia Modh Alvin will be doing her best to lift morale within the school, improve awareness, and encourage people to take care of their mental health. Her goal is to make school more than just a place to learn. So far, she has already improved whole school awareness of mental health with the World Mental Health Week assembly.
Justin Waltenspuhl will be managing house captains and assisting with the PE Department for sports day and other house activities that involve sports. His goal as a sports prefect is to encourage as many students as he can to participate in sports. This is to ensure that the students at Kent College build teamwork skills and diligence.
As our community event prefects, Paolo Guerzoni and Nicole Fernandez will be organizing and managing community events such as Kent’s Got Talent and the PFA Christmas Festival (which is yet to be confirmed). Their goal is to build a sense of community, and through community events, they aim to provide opportunities for activity participation, skill development, volunteering, and social interaction.
Currently, they are looking to get a Kent’s Got Talent in January, so remember to practice and rehearse in November! Video submissions for auditions should be submitted during the Christmas break. That will be the first round of auditions, and the talent picked from the auditions will be asked to perform in front of a panel and get judged.
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Another title that has recently been added at school is that of "Ambassador." Ambassadors will be the student heads of departments. In addition to this, they will act as a channel of communication between teachers and students. Furthermore, some ambassadors may offer you help when you are struggling or confused in a subject. They will also be able to advise you on what it’s like to take their subject at a higher level (GCSE, A-Level or IB).
As the Eco Ambassador, Varya Bedi has led the ecollege ECA to promote and initiate sustainability within the school, meaning that she will be organizing, leading, or assisting members of the staff in sustainability projects, such as beach cleanups. She is also leading the Environmental Society to guide aspiring environmentalists into the field. Her environmental projects include biology and geography, along with English, as she aspires to make a documentary in the future.
“What motivates me to take on the role as Eco Ambassador is making a positive impact within and outside the school. I've always felt as though nature spoke to me, plants and animals alike, so conserving and protecting them, especially from what I've seen in documentaries and my travels, has always been my concern. I plan to make our school more sustainable by leading environmental projects, raising awareness and action, and by partnering up with other schools and campaigns, such as D-Grade and Jess, to strengthen bonds and raise sustainability in and outside of the school.”
Saira Gothey - Science Ambassador
As a science Ambassador, Saira’s goal is to spark a greater interest in and understanding of Biology, Chemistry and Physics in younger pupils, allowing them to enjoy the three subjects and consider pursuing a science-related career in the future. She will be helping younger pupils in science lessons and creating new science boards in the corridors.
Yara’s role will be to support some of the younger students with math as well as run a lunchtime ECA. She’ll also be working on some competitions that everyone can get involved in. For those who may not love theoretical mathematics, Yara will be holding more application math competitions. This is to encourage a positive attitude towards math in addition to enriching students' mathematical journeys.
As an MFL Ambassador, Benedetta will be tasked with assisting in lessons by speaking to students. The aim of her role is to provide students with exposure to conversational French and Spanish. This is because foreign languages not only provide a competitive edge in career choices but also improve understanding of communication and language as a whole; as a result enhancing communication skills. Furthermore, she will be assisting the department with any MFL activities, trips, and/or assemblies.
Kulsoom will not only be re-launching the Psychology Society (which was previously lead by Renee Grima) she will also be implementing her own original ideas to make the society more hands-on. Currently, she is putting together a new board for psychology right outside the classroom, while also planning her tutor group visits, which aim to educate the students regarding the psychology courses offered in A-levels and IB. Lastly, one of her current plans is to team up with the well being prefect and plan out a sleep awareness week linked to neuroscience.
“I feel like it’ll be quite exciting to show what happens behind the scenes in the brain when we are asleep.”
Krish will be helping with creative writing, book clubs, and all literature related activities. Their goal as English Ambassadors is to help students discover the power of language. This would be particularly useful in not only day to day life but also for those looking to go into linguistics, writing, or any other English related course.
“There is no greater journey than the ones guided by text.. the power words have to shape and move reality is second only to the innate human inclination towards stories, thus the joy this entices must be trickled like glitter unto every individual, and that is the goal I will hence set forth to achieve!”
His role and goal will be to create a larger interest in the development of creativity in school life. In addition to this, Henrique will be providing help to those in their younger years who want to improve their art. The aim of the art ambassador is also to procure a greater number of school competitions regarding the subject to display the artistic talents of those within the school.
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The last change that has been made to leadership roles is that of the house captains. Since year 13’s go off on study leave during term three, the KS4/5 House Captain role has previously been left unoccupied, but this year there will be deputy House Captains announced later on who will then be promoted to House Captains once the year 13’s are on study leave.
However, these are the current KS4/5 House Captains:
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With a range of upcoming events such as KCD Got Talent, inter-house debate competitions, and the Christmas Cup, there is much to look forward to. Keep an eye out for audition submission dates, and be the best you can be.
