Congratulations to our Student Leaders for 2026!
About our selection process...
2026 Student Leadership Process – Completion and Congratulations
As shared in our Compass update on 15 September 2025 and in Newsletter Issue 29 dated 12 September 2025, our Grade 5 students have been taking part in the 2026 Student Leadership selection process. We are delighted to announce that this process has now been successfully completed. This year’s leadership selection involved a rigorous and comprehensive approach designed to give every student the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership potential in a fair and supportive way.
The journey began with a meeting for all Grade 5 students, where the available leadership roles were discussed in detail. Students learned about the responsibilities of each position and what it means to be a school leader.
Following this, students were invited to nominate for up to three leadership roles they were most interested in. They then worked during class time to plan, draft and refine their speeches, using guiding questions to help them address the selection criteria. To ensure fairness and equity, all speeches were written and practised at school, giving every student the same opportunity to prepare and receive feedback from their teachers.
Once ready, each student presented their speech to their peers and staff, demonstrating confidence, enthusiasm and a clear understanding of leadership.
After the speeches, three groups participated in the voting process – students from Grades 4 and 5, Grade 6 students, and teachers and specialist staff. These votes were combined to create a shortlist of applicants for the next stage.
Shortlisted students were then invited to interviews with our Principal Mr Chris Chant, Ms Karakousis (representing Grade 5/6 and Student Voice & Leadership), and Miss Spencer (Team Leader of Specialist Teachers). During the interviews, students spoke exceptionally well, expressing their ideas thoughtfully and showing great maturity and self-awareness.
Following much discussion and deliberation, final decisions on the 2026 student leadership positions were made. While we aimed to achieve a balanced representation of gender and Victorian Curriculum/French Binational Program students, the final selections were based on the best fit and who was best suited to each leadership role, thus ensuring true equity in the process.
We would like to extend our congratulations to all students who applied for a leadership role. The quality of speeches and applications was outstanding, and it was clear that we have many capable and passionate young leaders at our school. Selecting the final student leaders was not an easy task given the exceptional standard of candidates and the high level of leadership potential across our cohort.
For students who would like feedback on their application or interview, this can be arranged through their classroom teacher, and a suitable time will be organised next week.
We look forward to seeing our new student leaders take on their roles with confidence in 2026 and continue to make a positive difference in our school community.
Congratulations once again to all our applicants – you should be incredibly proud of your effort, courage, and commitment throughout this process.
Ms Karakousis and Miss Spencer
Congratulations to our 2026 Student Leaders!
