Leadership at Pembroke

Senior School

To be a Pembroke Senior School leader on the Girton campus means that you are a developer but also the custodian of the School’s culture, carefully carrying and protecting it across your 12-month term. Additionally you are a servant to your peers and an important role model to the whole School. In 2020 we have welcomed 23 members of our Student Staff Executive (SSE). They were selected after a rigorous process of detailed nomination, voting by their peers and a formal interview. The group represent a range of areas of the School—students from both day school and the boarding houses, as well as our Music and international students.

The SSE are solely responsible for organising the Wednesday assemblies, where they might have a specific focus such as National Reconciliation Week. Their duties may also include a range of reports from sports events, or involve a guest speaker or a competition among the tutes. The annual School Formal is organised and run by these students and they also rally the School to support our students in important sports competitions, music events and drama productions. They play a key role in raising awareness and funds for causes that are connected to our campus, organising bake sales, fundraisers and casual days. Alongside this they are key leaders of our drive towards a more environmentally sustainable campus and contribute to the Environmental Action Group.

These student leaders model the very best approach to Senior School life for their peers, striving to reach their personal best in every way. They are an exemplary group of young people and we look forward to their contribution to our community.

Mrs Alexandra Piggott
Head of Senior School

Middle School

Our student leaders play an important part in developing the culture of King’s campus. It is through their strengths and influence that they effect the tone of the Middle School. We have worked assiduously to evolve a model of student leadership that enables student agency. From the day of appointment our leaders are expected to adopt the mantle of leadership.

Middle School student leaders are elected by their peers and become known as the Student Voice Executive (Year 10s, appointed for the whole year), House Captains (Year 10s) or Student Voice Representatives (Years 7–9, appointed for a semester each). Middle School leaders fulfil a variety of roles connected to acts of altruism, advocacy and action. As leaders they:

• actively promote the ethos of the School Aims
• accept others and encourage relational harmony on campus
• promote student voice and agency on campus and in the wider community
• behave authentically
• participate in learning and training opportunities in aspects of leadership and
• demonstrate to the best of their abilities the following traits: integrity, honesty, perseverance, compassion, empathy, acceptance, reliability and non-judgementalism.

Leaders need sometimes to be followers but they also need to be prepared to step forward when the opportunity beckons or the situation demands. Whether our leaders speak at assemblies, address their Houses and tute groups, lead a Causes project, or organise House Causes and many other activities, all are committed to making a positive difference.

Mr Howard (Mac) MacPherson
Head of Middle School

Junior School

All students are encouraged, as members of our Junior School community, to be respectful and responsible and to consider others. As students work and play together they show their potential influence as leaders—being good role models, showing kindness and compassion, enjoying the successes of others, and showing courage and persistence in setting and achieving goals. These qualities are key considerations when students and staff vote for Year 6 student leaders.

We congratulate the following eight House leaders for 2020 and we look forward to their leadership and direction:
Yorke: Genevieve Braithwaite and Oliver Foo
Torrens: Matilda Dunstone and Nicholas Luu
Spencer: Alice Emmett and Rock Han
Flinders: Isabella McEwin and Angus Underdown

Another important area of formal leadership is Community Service. The following 29 Year 6 students will be leading the listed committees, and will be playing a vital role of service to others in our Junior School:

Sports: Bailey Heriot, Rocco Ligertwood, Thomas Chan, Abhinav Alwarappan, Max Woolley, Matilda Ly, Jessie Orchard and Max Black
Peer Mediation: Lia Struik, Maggie Kemp, Zackary Wilsen, Angus Abbott, Archie Carman and Zoe Hunwick
Environment: Cece Benson and Tara Lewis
Library: Patrick Sage and Isabella Lorenzetti
Digital Citizen: Lucas Tziavrangos and Max Meulengraaf
Global Awareness and Public Speaking: Molly Clark and Maya Bentley
Visual Arts: Lila Cox and Ava Thomson
Performing Arts: Beatrice Hayes, Amelia Ingham, Frankie Lloyd, Charlotte Ponte and Isla Favretto.

Mrs Susie Sadler
Assistant Head of Junior School