{"id":15431,"date":"2026-03-27T12:41:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/mscw\/?post_type=article&p=15431"},"modified":"2026-03-30T12:10:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T01:10:28","slug":"from-the-leader-of-wellbeing-68","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.thebuzz.net.au\/mscw\/article\/from-the-leader-of-wellbeing-68\/","title":{"rendered":"From the Leader of Wellbeing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Student Leaders Assembly Address – Harmony Week<\/h4>\n

Good morning, Mrs Sampson, Mr Hodges, staff and students<\/span><\/p>\n

We want to tell you a story about someone small, vulnerable, and surprisingly wise, someone who <\/span>has captured the hearts of millions around the world. <\/span>His name is Punch the Monkey.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Punch is a young Japanese macaque at <\/span>Ichikawa<\/span><\/a> City Zoo in Japan. He\u2019s only eight months old. Shortly after he was born, his mother abandoned him, and the zookeepers had to step in to raise him. They gave him a stuffed orangutan toy to comfort him, and he carried it everywhere, dragging it behind him like a little security blanket. Videos of Punch and his toy went viral, and suddenly the whole world fell in love with this tiny, gentle creature.<\/span><\/p>\n

But behind the cuteness was something harder to watch.<\/span><\/p>\n

As Punch grew, the other monkeys in his troop began to push him away. They excluded him. They dragged him, rejected him, and made it clear he didn\u2019t belong. And even though the world adored him, in his own community, Punch was alone. <\/span>And when I heard Punch\u2019s story, we couldn\u2019t help but think of us, of school, of friendships, of the way we sometimes treat one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because in every year group, in most friend groups at one point or another, there is a Punch.<\/span><\/p>\n

Someone who feels left out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Someone who is talked about behind their back.<\/span><\/p>\n

Someon<\/span>e who is pushed out of a group chat or friendship circle.<\/span><\/p>\n

And most likely, unfortunately, most of us have probably felt like Punch before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And in almost every friend group, there might be a \u201c<\/span>leader<\/span><\/i>\u201d or someone who sets the tone for everyone else. Then there are the ones who follow the group, even when they know someone is being left out. The ones who stay quiet because speaking up feels risky.<\/span><\/p>\n

But in reality, we are not adults; we are adolescent women. This means that we don\u2019t always have the life experience to know the right thing to do all of the time. But if you notice yourself acting like one of the <\/span>\u2018mean\u2019 monkeys,<\/span><\/i> a disruptor of peace and harmony, not being a <\/span>Sister<\/span><\/i> to one another,\u00a0 it is important to show maturity and learn from your mistakes, by taking responsibility and doing all that you can to not engage with others like that again. That’s what our school years are for – maturing and learning.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the real question today is this:<\/span><\/p>\n

Who are you in Punch\u2019s story?<\/b><\/p>\n