Student Leadership
At Sacred Heart, developing leadership skills through hands-on experience is a prominent way in which our girls "grow with courage and confidence." They are given opportunities to learn to lead responsibly, effectively, and compassionately all the way from Junior School, instilling them with a foundational understanding of key leadership skills that continue to serve them in tertiary education and their future careers.
At girls’ schools, students demonstrate great confidence in female leadership and become increasingly interested in leadership positions themselves (while data suggests that girls at coeducational schools actually become less interested in leadership positions with age!) and Sacred Heart is a prime example of this phenomenon. (Read more facts about the benefit of girls' education from the International Coalition of Girls' Schools!) Our girls have the opportunity to engage in a wide range of leadership roles all the way from Grade 4 through graduation. This also allows them to serve as role models for one another—our students never doubt whether or not girls make effective leaders, because all of the leaders around them are girls.
Student Council
Both High School and Middle School students at Sacred Heart take an active part in school government through their respective student councils. The High School Student Council is a robust organisation made up of an Executive and a variety of sub-councils that organise initiatives and events to ensure student voices are heard and to drive school spirit throughout all aspects of life at Sacred Heart. The Middle School Student Council is smaller in scope, and provides an introduction to civic school leadership through structured meetings, events, and initiatives. Through our student councils, ISSH strives to ensure students have agency and a forum to express their opinions and ideas, and to create a platform through which our girls can develop leadership skills and learn through firsthand experience about the responsibility of civic engagement and governance.
High School Student Council Members prepare for the new school year in August.
High School Student Council
The High School Student Council is composed of 33 students from the high school who are elected by their peers at the end of every school year to serve as representatives from each grade level, six councils and from the entire high school (the Executive Student Council). A president, a vice president and a secretary treasurer are elected from each group. The Council is responsible for planning and executing weekly assemblies, hosting spirit and service events, and representing the voices of the high school students. Members of our Student Council are driven, creative, and enthusiastic and care deeply about the school and community.
The Executive Student Council is the highest level governing body in the High School, and works tightly with area council and grade-level leaders to create a positive environment in the high school. They serve as a bridge between students and teachers, as well as a bridge between Sacred Heart and the other Kanto Plain Schools. The various area councils are:
- Academic Council, which supports the successful planning and executing of annual academic events;
- Fine Arts Council, which promotes, supports, and assists at various fine arts events to motivate student creative expression;
- Social Service Council, which promotes social awareness by providing opportunities to volunteer or otherwise engage with global issues;
- Sports Council, which supports ISSH's sports teams and recognizes athletic accomplishments through events and awards;
- Well-being Council, which raises awareness and shares information about physical, psychological, social-emotional, and spiritual health; and
- World Council, which works to promote cultural diversity and environmental action through a variety of events throughout the school year.
High school students also participate in Boosters, a student group dedicated to raising school spirit by supporting school events and planning and executing spirit days throughout the academic year.
Middle School Student Council
The Middle School Student Council provides students with an opportunity to develop their leadership and organisational skills. The council is comprised of 4 elected representatives from each Middle School grade level. The students bring ideas from the members of their class to weekly meetings, where they are discussed and, where possible, the council makes plans to implement the ideas. Popular events organised and run by the student council include free dress days, bake sales, special assemblies, and awareness-raising activities. The Middle School Student Council helps to organise events to raise funds for charities supported annually by the Middle School. They also run the weekly Middle School assembly and help at major events such as the Break the Ice Party and Family Festival.
Members of the Academic Council guide parents during ISSH's annual back-to-school day, Mini Day.
Middle School students enjoy a Halloween Free Dress Fundraiser organised by the Middle School Student Council.
All Grade 4 students have several chances in a year to serve as weekly Monitors, responsible for leading Junior School assemblies, planning presentations, and more.
Grade 4 Monitors
Each week, the Junior School assemblies are led by Grade 4 Monitors, who spend the week working together with the Junior School Principal to plan all elements of the assembly, including the opening prayer, the flow of the assembly, and the content of the main presentation. The Monitors are responsible for serving as MCs throughout the course of the assembly, leading the prayer, welcoming any guests, and presenting about various relevant topics, such as the Sacred Heart Goals and elements of Global Citizenship. Five to six girls serve as monitors each week, which means that each student gets several chances to serve as a monitor during the school year. Through the Monitors programme, Grade 4 student get their first chance to experience an organised leadership role and build the foundation for further development of a variety of leadership skills, such as communication, responsibility, organisational skills, and public speaking.