This week we have Year 8 and Year 11 students away at their three day camps. Year 8 students are attending Kinchant Outdoor Education Centre west of Mackay and Year 11’s are spending their three day leadership camp at the Capricorn Caves. This leadership camp has provided opportunities for students to identify the key attributes they believe good leaders possess and to reflect on themselves in relation to these. Initiative games and activities such as the climbing wall and adventure caving have challenged the girls physically and mentally. It has been extremely rewarding to witness the encouragement and support the girls have provided one another throughout the activities. For some girls, they have achieved things they didn’t think were possible.
In order for experiences like camps, where we are pushed out of our comfort zones to have a significant impact, we need to be present. To be present requires a conscious effort to be mindful of how we feel and think. It involves bringing our awareness in to the present moment and anchoring it there. Similar to the attributes of leadership, to be present means we have awareness of our values, strengths and challenges.
A leader who is present models the expectation that everyone takes responsibility for themselves. They have respect for themselves and others and have strong self-awareness. When we feel present in the moment, we can calmly engage with the opportunities in front of us. The cathedral cave tour that Year 11’s participated in on the first evening was a moving experience and one which required them to practice being present. This is a skill that we can all build in ourselves. We are all human though and at times have difficulty controlling our emotions. When this happens we revert from using our thinking brain to reacting with our feeling brain. We are no longer paying attention and are no longer present.
Just as we have discussed during Year 11 leadership camp, we all have times when we lose focus, feel stressed or overwhelmed, but what makes someone a good leader is their self-awareness.
The range of experiences from rock climbing, team building games, initiative activities, night cave tour and adventure caving have allowed all our girls to use the skill of being present to reflect on themselves as leaders in preparation for next year as the Class of 2022.
Kara Krehlik
Deputy Principal - Students
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