STUDENT LEADERSHIP
STUDENT COUNCIL
The Student Council consists of 15 student representatives
including the College Captains and College Vice Captains. It is comprised of
Year 12 students and is based at the Davisson Street Campus.
The Student Council plays an important role at St Monica’s
College. It promotes school spirit, community service and the development of
leadership skills.
All Student Council representatives hold responsibilities in
a particular portfolio – Fundraising, Special Events, Liturgy, Social Justice
and Media. They work in teams on initiatives and activities throughout the year,
in addition to representing the College and the student body on various issues
and a range of events.
All funds raised by the Student Council contribute to
improvements in the general College environment. Funds raised by the 2005
Student Council contributed to the development of the Australian Bush Landscape
and Samaritan Square on the Davisson Street Campus.
In addition to portfolio responsibilities, each member of the
Student Council represents a particular year level to ensure that students at
all year levels are heard and represented.
The Student Council undertakes training to assist them in
their role as student leaders.
JUNIOR COUNCIL
The Junior Council consists of 15 representatives from Year 9
and is based on the Dalton Road Campus.
The Junior Council works in cooperation with the Student
Council with an aim to further develop the strong link between the two campuses
of St Monica’s College. Students in the Junior Council undertake various
training sessions in order to develop valuable leadership skills in public
speaking, meeting procedures, communication, decision-making and team work. All
Junior Council members hold responsibilities in a particular portfolio – Special
Events/Archives, Fundraising, Media, Lunchtime Activities and Liturgy. In
addition to portfolio responsibilities, members of the Junior Council are
responsible for raising issues, concerns and suggestions of their year level at
Junior Council meetings.
CLASS CAPTAINS AND CLASS VICE CAPTAINS
Early in the school year, students from each homeroom in
years 7,8, 10 and 11 are given the opportunity to nominate for positions of
Class Captain and Class Vice Captain. Students in these positions of leadership
assist the Homeroom Teacher, Year Level Coordinators, the Student Council and
Junior Council with College activities as required.
Class Captains, consistent with all students in positions of
leadership, participate in training sessions to help develop skills in Christian
leadership through a Gospel understanding of leadership.
SPECIALIST CAPTAINS
Each year, Specialist Captains are selected in the following
areas: Music, Dance/Drama, Public Speaking, Envirofriends and Publications.
Support teams are also established in the areas of Liturgy, Publications and
Sound & Lighting.
Being selected as a Specialist Captain is an opportunity
offered to students to undertake a leadership role in a specialized area of the
College. The Publications Captain and Vice-Captain are based on DSC and work
closely with the Annual Editors and the Publications Team to produce the College
Annual and to assist with other publications within the College, such as Year
Level Newsletters. Envirofriends Captains represent each campus and they work
with other members of the campus Envirofriends Teams on various campaigns and
activities, and promoting environmental awareness. The Music Captain, usually a
senior student studying VCE music, leads a team of other ensemble leaders to
promote and enhance the profile of all types of music within the College. The
Performing Arts Captains, and the Public Speaking Captains also have
representatives on each campus and work together with staff in these specialized
areas to promote student involvement, support activities, and advertise
up-an-coming events. The Specialist Captains meet as a group several times a
year and also undertake training in leadership, communication and public
speaking skills. All Specialist Captains and team members receive general
leadership training consistent with programs offered to other student leaders as
well as specialized training prepared by staff relevant to their particular
role.
SPEAKERS CORNER
Speakers Corner is an initiative by the 2008 Student Council which aims to give students on the Davisson Street Campus the opportunity to be exposed to speakers and activities which they may not otherwise have the chance to see. Speakers Corner takes place in Samaritan Square which is a passive recreation area complete with rotunda and seating. In May 2008, the Student Council arranged for Bree Amer to speak to the students about Thyroid Cancer and the challenges she faced when diagnosed. This was the first event for National Thyroid Awareness week. This was extremely successful and was followed up by a performance in June by the band ‘Ignition’ which features four ex-Monicans.