BSSC Year 12 students, Alyssa Lai and Joelle Colliver are now the President and Vice-President of the Student Leadership Team. These students flourished during their involvement in Student Council in Year 11 and have now stepped into roles they hope will help them to be more effective in giving a meaningful voice to all BSSC students.

“We actually met in Year 7 when we both joined the school choir and were in the same section,” Joelle says. “We’ve been friends ever since and I think that’s a positive thing for the SLT.”

Alyssa agrees.

“We know each other so well… we can support each other and we already know how well we work together. No clashes!”

Joelle and Alyssa were both on Student Council last year.

“I joined Student Council as a brand new student,” Joelle recalls. “It was such a good move because I made friends with people who want to make positive change and contribute to the college in the same way I do.

“Student Council also helped my thinking change and expand. Now here I am, in a leadership role myself.”

Both Alyssa and Joelle have also served on the Victorian Student Representative Council. Vic SRC is a place students share ideas, problems and solutions with their peers—and sometime government. They develop relevant and effective leadership skills to take back to their colleges from the work they do with students from across the entire state.

So what can we all expect from BSSC’s 2019 Student Leadership Team?

“We’ll be even more inclusive,” Alyssa says, “especially of students from other cultures. I think we are doing a great job looking after our Chinese students, but those from other backgrounds will really benefit when we extend the Buddy System we used last year.”

The Buddy System links individual students with a student who is from a different culture to provide advice, support and friendship.

“The students who were buddies last year really enjoyed the experience and luckily they are all part of the SLT this year,” Alyssa says.

“I’m really keen to get some more lunchtime activities happening,” Joelle says. “Students would benefit from being active—and not just walking into the CBD.

“I’m thinking a downball court would be great… or making the stadium available for shooting baskets. And we’re really keen to be involved in the 40-hour Famine again.”

Alyssa wants everyone to know that the College Formal is definitely happening.

“The formal committee is already onto it,” she says, “and through our three sub-committees the SLT will make sure there will be other student-led events.

“We also will be making our monthly videos again, so people know exactly what’s coming up. There will be a survey out soon so we can identify what our students’ experiences are and what they would really like to see happen at BSSC.”

The SLT will contribute to Anzac Day activities and there will be a photo booth at this year’s Harmony Day so that people who have dressed up (or even if they haven’t!) can take home a pic to remember the event.

So, what would YOU like the SLT to do? They are ready and listening!