Student Voice, Agency and Leadership at Truganina College

Student Voice, Agency and Leadership (SVAL) are key elements of teaching and learning in high performing schools. The Amplify framework guides this work in all Government schools:

Student Voice: Authentic student voice provides opportunities for students to collaborate and make decisions with educators around what and how they learn and how their learning is assessed.
Student Agency: the power to direct and take responsibility for their learning, creating independent and self-regulating learners.
Student Leadership: Student leadership is not confined to a small group of individuals, as leadership potential is inherent within all learners. Student leadership includes listening to and being able to clarify the issues of the students they represent and advocating on their behalf.

These three elements come together to help build empowered young people that can take responsibility for their own learning, growth and impact on the world around them. Empowered students show improved engagement and achievement in learning across their school years, supporting their academic progress.

At Truganina College, we see SVAL as a core component of teaching and learning and we strive for excellence in all aspects of this work. Throughout 2024 and looking ahead to 2025, will continue working with students on a number of exciting projects.

2025 College Captains

In term four, students in Year 5 and Year 8 were invited to apply for the role of College Captain. These are crucial positions for the leadership of the college, with College Captains taking responsibility for leading student voice F-9, supporting other leaders such as House and Class Captains, as well as serving as the voice for students on School Council. They are also responsible for leading school initiatives throughout the year.

This year, students were required to submit a written application with teacher reference, complete an interview and then shortlisted candidates wrote and delivered a speech, met with all principals and visited F-2 classes in the lead up to the student and staff vote. The selection panel of Principal Amanda Williams, Assistant Principal James Bayard, Learning Specialist Hannah Tooze, PLC Leader Alicia Pettinella and current captains Adele Zhang, Ishani Ishani, Pavreet Joia and Muhammad Bilal Mohson were inspired by the dedication and passion shown by all applicants throughout the process.

The four successful applicants and your 2025 College Captains are:

Abhinav Kowtha - Year 6
Zakariya Nour - Year 6
Sherin Jeno - Year 9
Noku Chineka - Year 9

The Student Leadership team and wider college staff are already looking forward to working with these outstanding young leaders throughout 2025!

Truganina College Student Leadership Framework

As a College, we strive to help all our students develop the skills and mindsets of leaders, whether they have an official position of leadership or not.

To continue to improve how we do this, a working party of staff and students have been developing a Student Leadership Framework that defines student leadership, the dispositions and skills needed to be a leader and will guide our work across 2025 and beyond.

The working party has included teachers from across all mini schools of the College. Teachers Alicia Pettinella, Sarah Haslam and Stephanie Li worked with Assistant Principal James Bayard and students in Years 7 and 8 to develop a framework built around four key dispositions for leaders: open-mindedness, interpersonal courage, empathy and perseverance. Each of these dispositions has a set of actions and mindsets that bring them to life. In order to align the leadership of our adults and our students, these are the same dispositions that anchor the Victorian Teaching and Leadership.

Academy’s framework for school leaders, builds a thorough line of how we work together, from our principal-class team all the way to the student leaders and their classroom peers.

Across 2025, our team will continue to build this framework with our emerging leaders and use it help them become even more capable and inspiring young people.

James Bayard

Assistant Princpal

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