LeadHER Academy: Empowering HER Voice, HER Vision, HER Confidence

I’d like to begin by extending my gratitude and thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of our 5th Annual Girls Grammar Long Lunch. This event has become a much-loved tradition in our school calendar, and this year was no exception. It was a wonderful celebration of connection, one of the three guiding values that shape everything we do at Girls Grammar: Clever, Confident, and Connected.

Connection was not only felt in the laughter and conversations shared throughout the afternoon, but also in the way our students carried themselves with grace, professionalism, and confidence. Watching them serve and support the event with such poise was a powerful reminder of the deeper purpose behind our work to nurture young women who are not only capable, but confident in who they are and how they lead.

This brings me to one of the most exciting announcements I’ve had the privilege to make as Principal of Rockhampton Girls Grammar School, the launch of our new student leadership initiative: LeadHER Academy, in partnership with Stephen Scott and ETHICLEAD.

We were honoured to welcome Stephen as our guest speaker at this year’s Long Lunch. I first met Steve in 2022 through the ISQ New Principal’s Program, and since then, he has gone from facilitator to mentor to someone who has played a key role in shaping our school’s strategic direction. Steve supported our school review last September and helped us refine our mission:

To foster a connected community that develops clever and confident young women.

Stephen is widely respected in the field of ethical leadership, having delivered his 15 Disciplines of Ethical Leadership program to staff across education and business sectors nationwide. His work has shaped leadership cultures in schools and organisations across Australia. Now, for the first time, we are proud to be the first school to formally partner with him to bring this transformative framework to students.

This is not a bolt-on leadership course it’s a whole-school culture shift.

The 15 Disciplines are designed to be embedded into the daily rhythm of school life, woven into classrooms, playgrounds, cocurricular activities, and every interaction between staff and students. Leadership, in this model, is not confined to titles or roles. It’s a shared responsibility, modelled by every adult in the school and experienced by every student, every day.

For years, Stephen has been asked: “Will you extend this work to student leadership?” After many conversations with Steve, Rockhampton Girls Grammar School will be the first school in Australia to formally embed The 15 Disciplines of Ethical Leadership program for students, establishing a whole-school leadership culture from Prep through to Year 12. In addition to this, our incoming 2026 Prefects will participate alongside staff in the immersive five-day leadership program, further strengthening the shared responsibility and modelling of ethical leadership across our community.

This is a revolution in leadership thinking, one that places ethics, integrity, courage, humility, productivity, and sustainability at the centre of how we grow young leaders. It’s about building responsibility in ourselves to inspire responsibility in others.

At Girls Grammar, we’ve chosen not to adopt a short-term leadership program. Instead, we’ve invested in a long-term approach with a guaranteed return, one that will benefit not only our students, but also the wellbeing, retention, and sense of purpose of our staff.

We will begin this journey with a three-year phased rollout, starting with our Year 7–8 students in Semester 2, 2026. From there, LeadHER Academy will grow to become a defining part of our school culture.

The confidence and professionalism our students displayed at the Long Lunch was a powerful reminder of why this work matters. Their poise, their presence, and their pride in representing our school were not just impressive, they were inspiring. These are the qualities we want to nurture and amplify through LeadHER Academy. We want every student to graduate not only academically prepared, but emotionally, relationally, and ethically equipped to thrive in an uncertain world.

There is no greater contribution a school can make to society than this, to raise a generation of world-ready ethical leaders. That is exactly what we are committed to doing at Rockhampton Girls Grammar School.

Kara Krehlik

Principal