On Wednesday, the fourth of March, our school’s head students were privileged enough to take part in the GRIP leadership conference held at the Celebration Event Centre. Student leaders from a variety of primary and secondary schools gathered in the auditorium to begin an exciting day.
When we arrived, we were allocated a row, and each seat had a booklet that we used throughout the day for each activity. The first concept we went over was ‘What should leaders do at our school?’ We learnt about serving the needs of others and taking ownership of opportunities. We talked about modelling school values and being a good example to others, and we learnt the importance of making connections with lots of people.
The main themes of the day were integrity and ‘I accept the challenge’, and the leaders who were teaching us mentioned the five A’s – for example, always tell the truth and aim for high standards. The leaders from GRIP started to talk about aiming high, and we, as head students, felt proud that one of our school values was used as an example.
During the final session before we left, we had a chance to ask thoughtful questions to all of the speakers from the day. One question we were particularly curious about was what the best tips were for becoming the best leader possible. The GRIP team told us to be open to new ideas, be humble, and even if you have your own way of achieving something, there are many methods that others use that may vary from yours.
Overall, we were very grateful for the opportunity to represent CSKI at the GRIP leadership conference. We had great conversations, and we learnt about leaders in different situations, in and out of the classroom. It was a great experience to be a part of.
Written by Maia (Head Student, Manurau Māori)
