Year 9 Students have the opportunity to display and develop their leadership skills in an outdoor setting at the King's College Venture Camp - Ahuroa.
Each Year 9 class spends five days at Ahuroa where they are involved in a number of activities (mainly outdoor) in which they will have the opportunity to lead a partner or group of other students.
The activities they will be involved in are Icebreaker games, orienteering, climbing-wall, camp craft, a navigational exercise, ropes course, abseiling, canoeing, firearms, concert, camp-out, Burma trail, wide game, food preparation and domestic duties each day.
In each of these activities, there will be an opportunity to display one of the following:
- organise a team
- lead a team
- lead a partner
- cooperate as a team member
- display initiative and a willingness to work
In addition, within this programme, there is a unit on leadership where the students study traditional leadership styles, look at case studies of inspirational leaders, study the changing nature of leadership, focus on servant leadership and do a self-assessment on their core values.
Year 10
Students, again, have the opportunity to display and develop their leadership skills in an outdoor setting, spending another week at Ahuroa.
A number of the activities are the same as the students experienced in Year 9, but building and sleeping in bivouacs is included, as is route planning, with the real focus for the week being a two day expedition.
As was the case in Year 9, students have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills by working with a partner or in a group situation.
The students will also have the opportunity to exercise some of the theory they learned in the Leadership Unit they studied in Integrated Studies in Year 9, in specifically designed activities at Ahuroa, to meet this purpose.
A module has been introduced in the Year 10 curriculum, Leadership and Career Building, where a course has been developed to study the importance of Emotional Quotient (EQ), the need to develop tolerance, honesty, assertiveness, resilience, compassion, courage, initiative, discipline and dealing with failure. The students will also do an exercise to develop their Personal Profile and do some career research, which should assist them in gaining some insight into possible career opportunities for the future.
Year 11
1. Life-Skills Module
Leadership qualities and skills are particularly emphasised in the topics on trust and cooperation, communication, relationships, feelings, self-esteem and resilience.
2. Year 11 Leadership Programme within Houses
Housemasters are encouraged to develop a programme within their Houses, which may involve a variety of activities such as a Community Service project, taking responsibility for a certain area of the House, leadership involvement in Junior House teams, or perhaps taking on a project within the House such as a landscaping project etc. These activities give students a chance to put into practice some of the theory they have leaned in the Junior School. It gives them a further opportunity to develop their initiative, work as a team, develop their ability to taken on responsibility, and to further develop the understanding that "to lead is to serve".
3. End-of-Year Programme
Students are involved in a seven day programme after their exams which includes seminars on:
- Relationships
- Etiquette
- Leadership
- Motivation
as well as practical exercises such as Community Service and other optional courses.
The Leadership Seminar entitled "Leadership in the Senior School" outlines the expectations of Year 12 students at King's College. The seminar begins by looking at the School's Mission Statement and then looks at how Year 12 students can take a lead by supporting what the school stands for.
Year 12
1. Leadership Course
All Year 12 students have the opportunity to attend a three day Leadership Course at Ahuroa in the September holidays. The main purpose of these courses is to enhance the ability of the Year 12 students to assume additional responsibilities and to increase their sense of personal confidence in any leadership role that they have. It is, in fact, their first formal opportunity to focus on leadership development in preparation for their final year at the College.
The programme's main aims and objectives are as follows:
- gain knowledge of leadership theory
- have the ability to work for the attainment of group goals
- enhance communication skills and self-awareness
- improve self-confidence in individual and group challenges
- learn to manage a group and give directions
2. House Leadership Weekend
During the first weekend of the fourth term, Housemasters arrange a Year 12 House Leadership Weekend. These generally take place from Saturday lunch through to Sunday evening. The courses take different forms with some Houses choosing to go away overnight, while others prefer to use the facilities at King's. The focus of these courses is for the Housemaster and his staff to discuss House Leadership issues with the Year 12 students in preparation for that group to lead the House the following year.
The House staff get an opportunity to see closely how the students inter-relate, discuss the present year and set goals for the following year. It is also a very good opportunity for House staff to discuss with the students how to deal with certain situations, should they arise in the House.
3. Year 12 Leadership Seminars
During the few weeks of Term 4, the Headmaster and Associate Headmaster have three one-hour seminars with the whole Year 12 group.
Seminar 1: Explanation of the Student Leadership selection process and the Year 13 mentoring programme
Seminar 2: Characteristics of current leadership group and characteristics of this year's Year 12. As a leader, what would you want to foster, and what would you want to eliminate?
Seminar 3: Establishing goals for the following year (feedback from previous week). Nominations of senior leaders for the following year.
4. Leadership Selection Course
Once nominations for School Leadership from the Year 12s have been submitted and Housemasters have put forward names for the School Leadership Course, the Headmaster and Associate Headmaster select students to attend the course.
The five day course includes:
- Recap of the main points gained from the September course
- Goal setting
- Time management
- Conflict Resolution
- Communication exercises
- Functions of a Leader
- Headmaster's Address
- Outdoor Initiative Circuit
- Leadership Exercise "Touching the Void"
- Personal Evaluations
5. Leadership Selection
The Headmaster and Associate Headmaster then interview and select the Senior School Prefect Team for the following year. The team is made up of the Head Prefect and four Deputy Head Prefects, one of which is a female student.
These School Prefects are announced shortly before the end of the School year.
The Housemasters then decide on who they wish to be Head of their House and this information is given to the Headmaster and Associate Headmaster.
The School Prefect Team for the start of the year is made up of the five Senior Prefects and eleven Heads of Houses.
The Headmaster and Associate Headmaster also select another group of Year 12 students as Prefects (Gold Badges) who assist with duties around the school the following year and also have a portfolio of their own for which they are responsible.
Letters are sent out during the Christmas holidays inviting those students to take up the position of a School Prefect or Gold Badge Prefect. The students are expected to reply indicating they would like to accept the position and the responsibility that goes with it.
Year 13 1. School Prefect and Prefect Seminar Day
On the Saturday prior to the start to the academic year, the School Prefects and the Gold Badge Prefects meet with the Headmaster and Associate Headmaster.
The purpose of the day is to:
- Do some bonding prior to the beginning of the year
- For the Headmaster to outline the College's goals for the coming year
- For the Head Prefect to outline the goals the Year Group has established in line with the College's goals
- For the Associate Headmaster to go through the 'nuts and bolts' of being a Prefect and discuss any concerns that may arise. Each Prefect is issued with a Prefect's Handbook which is discussed
2. School Prefect and Prefect Meetings
These occur approximately every three weeks in term time during the year. At these meetings the Headmaster, Associate Headmaster and Head Prefect will speak, as well as any other Prefect who may wish to make a presentation.
