The Senior School House Performing Arts Festival occurred on Tuesday, with ten House groups of 100 students doing their best on stage for around seven minutes. The House leaders have only eight 25-minute rehearsals to produce a musical item.
We continue to strive to ensure the House program is an important and central experience for the students. The underlying concepts include investigating how to improve, develop and increase authentic leadership with the student House leaders at Carey. The shift to a more student-run program incorporates the values of our House structure in the School, these being service to others and service without recognition. It also creates an environment where students can grow through the challenges and responsibilities that they experience. The overall aim is to delegate responsibility and influence to enable students to successfully lead their House.
Ultimately, staff should do those things – and only those things – that only they can do. With a motto nothing should be done by a member of staff that can be safely delegated to a properly trained student, the program has shifted to be more student-run and is already showing significant results. The intense participation schedule equips the students with the confidence and skills required to successfully lead a well-run House, and involves them in the training of younger students to do the same and better in years to come. The House program at Carey attempts to:
- build cross-age communities in which each student knows and is known by – relies upon and is relied upon by – each other member of their House
- empower each student with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to attain their personal best by developing their vision of and optimism for the future
- create a sense of service and in some ways help to prepare students for a life outside of school by exposing them to teamwork, management roles and working toward a shared goal
- hone the ability to manage oneself, in interactions within a group, and develop positive relationships across all age groups.
Christian Gregory
Deputy Head of Senior School – Student Wellbeing
