Student Representative Council (SRC)
This is some of what we achieved in 2008!The Student Representative Council (SRC) is comprised of 4 student representatives from each junior year and 6 from each senior year. We meet daily as a roll call group and at regular intervals for formal meetings. Formal meeting procedures are used to run all meetings. The SRC worked to support the SRC state theme for 2008 which was “Let’s improve – make the move”. Our goals were to facilitate student leadership, to create harmony both within the school and the community, and to improve the school environment.
Developing student leaders was successfully addressed during 2008. Our students were selected to attend, host and present at a number of leadership events and met many politicians and Australian leaders during the year. These included attending the Women and Captains Leadership events, the Shirewide Youth and the Sydney region SRC Conferences and Sutherland Zone SRC meetings. We ran afternoon workshops in leadership for Years 4-6 at Marton Public School and a workshop on action planning at the Sydney region SRC Conference.
We were also encouraged to enter a variety of leadership competitions and to nominate on community panels. Caitlin Bradley entered the Engadine Lions Club Youth of the Year competition and students were selected to be members of the Sutherland Youth Council. This year, Matt Wigger, School Captain won the zone Lions Youth of the Year competition.
Creating a positive image for youth in the community and developing peace within our school were issues explored by the SRC in 2008. We attended the Speak Out Conference, used their media kit and discovered that it is possible for young people to be heard and to achieve their dreams. Kye Marksteiner became an Australian Youth Peace Ambassador at a Peace Forum at NSW Parliament house. Caitlin Bradley, our 2008 SRC President, received a Youth Peace Prize Australia for her commitment to harmony and peace initiatives within the school and the local community.
Poverty was identified as a major cause of disharmony in our community and events to highlight and take action were established. Mufti days and charity events were held and $8,000 was raised and donated to charities including UNICEF, Genetic research, the Cancer Council, Breast and Prostrate Cancer, cholera water straws and School Aid in Myanmar and China. Our sponsor child in South America was replaced by Hamaz from Ethiopia. Toy and food parcels were also collected during the year for the Salvation Army.
Future Directions for the SRC
In 2009 there will be a continuation of student leadership, values, environmental and community harmony projects. The E team and the Tech team will be expanded to allow more students to become involved in SRC projects. The SRC will explore ways of implementing the motions passed from the NSW State SRC Conference in 2008. These include the need to form strategies to support student well being by trialling the SRC Mindmatters booklet and implementing Peer Mediation, to reduce our energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5% per year for three years and to strengthen SRC organisation and communication through the use of the new NSW SRC e-forum and website.
