Our incoming school captains Cleo Gavagna and Rama Chadda-Harmer have recently been inducted into their new roles. We sat down with them to find out a bit more about them and their plans for the year.
Why did you choose to apply to become school captains?
R: When I joined in Year 6, I was not very confident however when I joined the Junior School I was embraced by a community who genuinely wanted to help and support me. When I transitioned to Year 7, the way I was welcomed by the older students made me feel so wanted and understood. And so I began to think that I wanted to get involved in making sure that other students had the same experience.
C: I knew from Year 7 that I wanted to be involved in leadership and that I wanted to inspire others. I really wanted to keep driving the positive impacts and change that students have at The School. I knew how special the School Captains before me had made me feel and I wanted to have the opportunity to do the same and bring out the best in others.
What do you hope to bring to the position?
R: For me, I hope that I’ll be able to make other students feel comfortable at SACS and that I’ve been able to show a genuine interest in who they are and what they’re doing.
C: I want to make sure that I bring a fun energy to the position, not in the sense that I won’t take things seriously but that students can feel comfortable coming up to have a chat with me. I want to share my advice and support the students within our school. I want to make sure that everyone at The School feels special and I think this is one of my biggest strengths.
So what would you like to achieve?
C: Our leadership style is centralised around the community so lots of our ideas surround this. Something we are both passionate about is continuing the study group started by the 2022 captains. Students from the Middle School or Year 10 can join specialized subject study groups in the library with Year 11 students. We’re hoping that this helps boost the sense of community within the school.
R: Something else we are interested in doing is increasing opportunities for inter-house competitions that connects students from every year in the school. For example we may run an activity during pastoral care time that involves one student from each year who are all in the same house. These groups will participate in a competitive activity with the aim being to bridge the gaps between different year groups.
What makes SACS a unique school?
C: I would say our city location makes it such a unique school. Our structure is very different, I love it because our position means we get such a diverse range of students, and so you have a better understanding and appreciation for all these different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. It really makes you more of an educated and all rounded person. You’re able to gain more respect and appreciation for everyone.
R: Building on that, I think the community at SACS is so special because we embody the idea of “you matter”. Every person is so important on an individual level and even though we’re split over two different buildings, there’s such a sense of community.
