Sandhurst student leaders gather to share ideas and learn together

Year 12 leaders embarked on a drive to Shepparton on the pupil-free day, 18 May, to participate in a conference hosted by Catholic Education Sandhurst.  We met many student leaders from colleges across the Diocese, to share ideas and to ultimately bond with other students.

The day began with an explanation of the acknowledgement of country by Michael Chisholm. He educated us about the difference between the Welcome to Country and the Acknowledgement of Country via an eye-opening TED Talk.

The Director of Catholic Education, Paul Desmond, then gave an opening address to get the students thinking about the values and ethics of leadership. He left us with the question, “What does the world need of its young leaders, today and into the future?”

After morning tea, Darren McGregor, Principal of Marist College Bendigo, shared with us his understanding of the metaphorical meanings behind several scriptures, and the key message of loving Jesus, whose teachings are at the core of our behaviours. He also spoke about faith and how this may be challenged in our role as leaders. Ultimately, we are all united by our faith and Jesus will back our decisions.

Kate Wilde spoke to us about engaging others and how communication is central to our role as leaders. She also ran some very fun activities. She demonstrated how important it is that empathy and compassion drive our actions as role models in our school community.

Overall, we’re very glad that we were able to participate in the day and are looking forward to applying the knowledge we gained about faith, leadership and our Catholic values in the year to come.

Abbey Clohesy, Toby Costigan, Maya Flood, Abby Perdon and Lucy Sherriff