In the last week of Term Two, St Joseph’s School, Dannevirke, took part in the Red Sock Leadership Week which the Sir Peter Blake Trust organised.
The purpose of this week was to highlight the skills and qualities of leaders and to promote leadership.
We took part in this week because, from the consultation we carried out last year, our community identified leadership as an important characteristic for the children of our school to develop.
Throughout the school we provide the children with leadership opportunities from the new entrants to Year 8 mission leaders. Through these opportunities we encourage the children to look at themselves – the qualities they have and those they are yet to develop that will enable them to be leaders in their lives.
Guest speakers who came to talk with the children about leadership and what it means to them included Bishop Peter Cullinane on leadership in the Catholic Church, the city’s mayor Maureen Reynolds on her role in the community and the chief executive of Tararua Health Sharon Wards.
Bishop Peter spoke about the importance of family in helping to shape the person.
‘In the family it is the parents who are the leaders,’ he said.
He also spoke about how God had chosen each one of the children and when God chooses them, they are a leader in some way.
Dave Lamont is principal of St Joseph’s School, Dannevirke.