Student Leadership
Student Leadership in OPSS
Vision: Every Student An Empowered Leader.
Mission: To nurture and develop every student to become an engaged leader
Motto: Leading and Serving with Compassion
Our Beliefs
Student leadership development
- is a personal journey; and
- every student can be nurtured to be a leader to lead themselves and/or others.
Our Framework
Theoretical Underpinning
In Orchid Park Secondary School, we subscribe to the Student Leadership Challenge Model (Jim Kouzes & Barry Posner) and the Practices Inventory. Below are the outcomes we desire our student leaders to achieve:
| Practices | Outcomes |
|---|---|
| Model The Way | An Orchidian with a ‘can do’ attitude who has initiative and volunteers |
| Inspire a Shared Vision | An Orchidian with a positive outlook who is able to rally others to work towards set goals |
| Challenge the Process | An Orchidian who is resourceful and perceptive |
| Enable Others to Act | An Orchidian who fosters collaboration and values diverse views |
| Encourage the Heart | An Orchidian who is compassionate towards their fellow men |
Driven by a conscientious ATOM approach by the school:
| Approach | Description |
|---|---|
| Assesment |
|
| Training |
|
| Opportunities |
|
| Mentoring |
|
The student leadership learning and development in OPSS is broken down into a 4-stage LEAD cycle, (Learning, Envisioning, Acting, and Developing) where students demonstrate the behaviour indicators and social and emotional skills of a leader through opportunities given to them:
| iLEAD | Key Domains Of Social & Emotional Skills | |
|---|---|---|
| Self Management Self Awareness | Social Awareness Relationship Management Responsible Decision Making | |
iLEARN
|
|
Social Awareness, Relationship Management
|
iENVISION
|
|
Social Awareness, Relationship Management
|
iACT
|
|
Relationship Management, Responsible Decision Making
|
iDEVELOP
|
|
Relationship Management, Responsible Decision Making
|
Our Key Programmes
CORE LEADERS PROGRAMME
[click here for more info on our CORE Leaders Prog]
CORE (Community OutReach Education) leaders are the key drivers of the school’s vision to equip our students with the necessary competencies to become community leaders of influence, who are actively engaged and effecting positive changes in the community.
In this 4-year, multi-tiered programme, students are equipped with the necessary project management and leadership skills through workshops, learning journeys and experiential learning projects in collaboration with our community partners.
SEC 1 ORIENTATION
Our Sec 1 Orientation Programme is thoughtfully planned and executed by our student leaders.
CCA Leaders work with our student councillors in this mega project where they will have an opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills learnt throughout their leadership journey in the school.
To student leaders, this project is a culmination of their leadership training in the school. The team is responsible for the entire process, from self-discovery to team management, goal setting to programme planning, execution to self-reflection and finally, performance review.
IN-HOUSE STUDENT LEADERSHIP CAMP
Designed and run by our own staff, the student leadership camp aims to bring our student leaders out of their comfort zone and circle of friends, to forge new friendships and to inculcate the key self and group leadership skills of empathy, communication and teamwork.
It also marks the start of the planning process of the (next) Sec 1 Orientation, where student leaders are challenged to critique current processes and initiate positive changes where required.
TRI-GENERATIONAL HOME CARE PROJECT (Tri-Gen)
The Tri-Gen project is a tripartite collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS), Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and our students. It is financed by the North West CDC.
Through providing home care and social support, this 6 to 12 months project aims to raise awareness among the youths on the needs of the elderly.
This project sets the students to take their first step towards community leadership with an in-depth look at one of the most salient social issues faced by Singapore.
The extended commitment and responsibility to provide regular care and support means it is also an invaluable lesson in self and group leadership.
CROSS COUNTRY RACE
The annual Cross Country Race is organized and run by all Sec 2 and 3 Executive Committee members of the various CCA groups as part of their leadership training. It covers the entire process of envisioning, planning and execution of the event.
The event presents an excellent experiential learning opportunity where students learn about each other’s strength and weaknesses and how to work together toward a common goal. Teachers act as mentors to the organizing committee, facilitating rather than instructing to enable self-discovery and constructive reflection. Each year’s committee is encouraged to develop their own leadership style and implement their own programme ideas.
PLAY INCLUSIVE PROGRAMME
Play Inclusive brings together students with special needs and students from mainstream schools to promote greater inclusivity through sport. Our secondary 2 sports leaders take on roles such as unified partners or coaches and work together with student athletes from Rainbow Centre Yishun Park School (RCYPS) to train and compete in a competitive event.
We believe that a good leader must first know how to serve, empathise with and appreciate others around him/her. These values are what we work towards in weekly sessions when students come together to learn a new sport, forge new friendships and nurture a greater understanding and appreciation for each other. Student leaders will also get to put their communication skills, patience, and empathy to test while learning values of teamwork, perseverance, and resilience.
STUDENT COUNCIL
Aspiring student councillors should embody the school ORCHID values and be a role model to the rest of the student population.
Student councillors are the voice of the student population, surfacing student concerns to the school leaders and working selflessly to provide their fellow students with a more enriching school experience.
