This week, the final stages of the Senior Council 2023 leadership journey began with hopeful candidates for School Captain, School Vice-Captain, SRC Chair and Emily Service Captain making speeches in assembly. Following this, voting took place among the student body and the candidates were interviewed by senior staff and the current School Captains. Over the past few weeks, I have also interviewed several students for a range of opportunities in the School. In these interviews, I talk to the students about what CGGS means to them and I am always impressed by their responses. Students talk about how they feel empowered and confident by the school environment and how they have built such confidence in themselves through their time at CGGS.
The most wonderful part about this is that these students are not just Year 12 students, but are also from Years 6, 7 and 8. Recently, the President of the Alliance of Girls Schools Australia, Loren Bridge, wrote an article in The Sydney Morning Herald which outlined the significant advantages of all girls’ education, noting that “girls in girls-only environments participate more freely in discussions, are more competitive and take more healthy risks with their learning — skills that are advantageous for life success”. This is certainly what we see every day in our classrooms. It is definitely a privilege to witness the growth of our children into adolescents and young people who act with courage, integrity, and are inclusive of those around them.
Our student leaders are focused on reigniting the School community after a period of distance during COVID and I have every faith that they will absolutely deliver on this ambition. It is not simply within our own classrooms that our children and young people speak up and act courageously but on platforms across the wider community. Bridge noted that “girls’ schools are at the forefront of gender equality, deliberately challenging gendered norms and purposefully building girls’ confidence, conviction and self-belief, making sure that girls have the skills and knowledge to speak out and to break down barriers”.
If you’d like to read the full article from Loren Bridge, you can find it here.
Best wishes to the Senior Council elect as the announcements are made today, and well done to the 2022 Senior Council who have navigated through the first in-person school year since 2020. What a wonderful community to lead!
Ms Julie Jorritsma
Acting Principal