A Reflection….Student Prefect Retreat 2024

On Thursday 17 October, the very eager Prefects and one excited Ms Connolly embarked on a day full of learning, team building, growth and many laughs along the way. We were hosted by the amazing team at Yirranma Place, a local community precinct with philanthropy at its heart. “Yirranma” is a Gadigal word broadly translated to mean “many-create”, which was very fitting for our day focusing on collaboration and team strengthening.

Our day started with a session with Ms Allum, or as she called it “Wisdom from the Head”, where we were invited into an open discussion and a Q&A in which we were inspired by her insights and leadership, and we understood what strong leadership looks like in a SCEGGS context. We took away the importance of maintaining balance between work and relaxation, as we all live busy lives with varied commitments. The challenges of leadership were also illuminated; Ms Allum’s emphasis on support for each other and  playing to everyone’s strengths to maximise our positive impact, are key messages we will take into our leadership journey. It was an excellent way to start the day, opening our eyes to some of the lessons she has learnt and experiences she has had during her time as Head. And if you were wondering, Ms Allum’s favourite colour of highlighter is neon orange. 

We then participated in a bonding activity, in which every Prefect shared a sentimental item, which represented them and significant aspects of their lives. For many, this was an inspiring experience, where girls, safe within the intimate space of our group, were able to share stories and be vulnerable and open with each other. We learnt about Claudia’s Phils-Osophy, Cissy’s inability to ever be without a blank palm card, and Darcey’s favourite stuffed animal, Mr Piggins. 

One key activity was Mr Lee-Lindsay’s teaching of the acronym CHANGE, where we were challenged to consider all of the different attributes that make up leaders we want to emulate. We never decided on an exact acronym, each letter having too many attributes to choose just one, but some of the key ones mentioned were; courage, community, humility, authenticity, nurturing, graciousness, empathy and everyone. This was especially helpful in establishing our intended direction in our roles as Prefects, and developing our understanding of what it means to be a leader at SCEGGS.

We had many visitors throughout the day, from staff at SCEGGS, such as Ms Whitney, Ms Kaye, Ms Wymer, Ms Bloomfield and Mr Rogers, and were also visited by two female leaders who work at Yirranma Place. We heard from Yasmin Narielvala, the head of partnerships and processes for the Paul Ramsay Foundation. Her message to do good work, and her experience in managing a very busy lifestyle, gave us great insight into some of the great initiatives we can support and the incredibly strong leaders behind them.

We were also lucky enough to meet Camilla Gray, the National Events Manager for the Paul Ramsay Foundation who shared with us her struggles and rules for managing a team, reminding us to always be solutions-focused, honour a deadline, and speak up early if we are struggling with our workload. We particularly liked her mantra of “Leave your ego at the door,” and we partnered this with Yasmin’s wisdom, that we have been chosen to “do good work”.

Before our lunch break, we were lucky enough to read through the carefully crafted scrapbooks and letters from the past Prefect bodies. Flipping through these books filled us with immense excitement. This activity made us realise how special the honour we have been given truly is, and we reflected upon the past Prefects’ love for the school, the SCEGGS ethos and their Prefect family. This reminded us of the legacy of past SCEGGS Prefects, and the importance of the tradition of student leadership to the school, reaffirming the importance of the role we now play for our school community. We chatted about the advice, reminisced on memorable moments of past prefects and their initiatives and enjoyed each other’s company in our perfect family over a VERY delicious lunch provided by Two Good Co, another inspirational company lead by dedicated  leaders with a goal of empowering, supporting and providing pathways for women at risk of homelessness. 

At the end of the day, we led the prefect body as we started brainstorming for our 2025 prefect ‘vision’, as well as some other exciting events that we can’t wait to share! This moment in the day was important in establishing how our prefect body will collaborate respectfully and successfully.

Overall, the leadership training day was an incredibly rewarding experience. Our team grew so much closer and started building relationships that will benefit us in our positions and simultaneously on our Year 12 journey. We’d like to thank Ms Connolly, Mr Lee-Lindsay, Ms Allum and all of the staff who helped make the day so successful. Moreover, we want to extend a huge thank you to the team at Yirranma place; their insights and advice were much appreciated by all. 

We cannot wait for the year ahead and feel immense pride to be continuing this integral aspect of the culture here at SCEGGS.

Georgia Tsangaris and Camille McCarthy
Head Prefect and Deputy Head Prefect