The Secondary Student Council for 2013 has begun meeting together, and in so doing, planning events and fund-raising initiatives that will benefit the College and the broader community.

Head Girl Eilidh Lucas, Head Boy WJ Meyer, and representatives from each of the year groups, with the guidance of College Teacher, Mrs Lisa Smith, meet regularly to plan ways of making the Cornerstone experience as positive and benefitial as possible.

The councillors from the other year groups are:

Year 7/8:  Hannah Penfold, Aiden Lombard, Bianca Gervasi.

Year 9: Elijah Mapstone and Ashlyn Atkinson

Year 10: Emily Robinson

Year 11:  Teneil Anderson

Year 12:  Jordan Robinson and Anthony Avice Du Buisson.

The Student Council have taken responsibility for sponsoring two children from a third world country, and priority fundraising is given for this.  Additionally, student ideas and interests are discussed and presented to staff, and assemblies and formal events are lead by these young leaders.

Congratulations to each of these young leaders on being selected.

The Student Council has met for the first time in 2012, under the leadership of Mrs Lisa Smith.

Their first meeting has already shown results, with Mr Douglas’ birthday celebrations high on the agenda.  This team of young men and women co-ordinated students from across the high-school to produce celebration cakes in honour of the day.

Head Boy, Bruce Dykstra and Head Girl, Hannah Blennerhassett have already been busy –  having attended meetings;  met with the Governor of WA;  will attend the MacKillop College Ball on the weekend -  and there is more being planned.  It is sure to be a busy year for them, as they also complete their final year of school.

The other students leaders, from Year 7 to Year 12 are enthusiastic young men and women who are sure to offer a great deal to the College community.  We are delighted at the appointment of each of them.

Well done.

The Secondary Student Council recently had an additional reason to gather together – pizza and prizes, courtesy of Cass Atkinson from Southern Rip.

This past term, students from Cornerstone and Busselton Senior High have been working on a survey together on what services are missing from Busselton.  Southern Rip is the initiating body behind the Youth Voice program, which is funded by the shire to give young people a chance to be heard on local issues.  The results of the survey will be presented to the Busselton Shire Council on July 20.

Those who participated in the process were asked to come to lunch today, with an I-Tunes voucher up for grabs.  Cornerstone’s Head Girl, Charlotte Goodbody and Career’s Teacher and co-ordinator of the Student Council, Jo Needham, were given the task of pulling a winning survey from the jar……..and a very pleased Emily was the winner.

Well done to each student involved in this exciting initiative.

The secondary students at Cornerstone Christian College have recently held their student council elections, and those who have been given places of honour met today for the first time to discuss their plans for the year.

Representatives from each of the year groups were selected, with two students each from Years 7 -11, and five coming from the Year 12 class.

During their meeting, ideas were presented - with some of them already being set into motion for the coming year.  Amongst their plans are fundraisers and introductory activities.  A free dress day is the first event they will promote, where they will aim to raise funds for an African charity.  In addition to encouraging students to expand their world view and be aware of the needs of others globally, the young leaders plan to continue in developing a strong relationship with the Southern Rip team, which will provide opportunities to communicate youth ideas and initiatives to the Busselton Shire.

According to Jo Needham, the teacher who offers guidance to the student council, the year looks promising.

‘It’s great to see an enthusiastic young bunch of students who are keen to have an input into school events and local issues’, she said.

 The council comprises of the following students:

Year 7 – Jack & Elijah

 Year 8 – Emily & Rhiannon

 Year 9 – Teneil & David

 Year 10 – Tim & Tom 

 Year 11 – Kaleb & Samantha

 Year 12 – Charlotte, Jack, Miriam, Ellie & Ben

Elijah , a Year 7 student who is experiencing his first leadership position, is excited about his role in 2011.

‘The students are all really nice, and it is going to be good to do some things together which will be helpful to the whole school’, he said.

Congratulations to each of these young leaders.  As a community, we value your input and look forward to your contributions to the College.

Cass,from Southern Rip was on the campus recently, as part of the Shire of Busselton’s Youth Voice.  She met with the student council and other civically minded students to provide a great opportunity for their thoughts and suggestions to be presented to the Shire.

Cornerstone’s Jo Needham was responsible for the event and has been thrilled at the way Southern Rip engages with the youth of the town and more specifically, inspires the Student Council at Cornerstone to have a sense of contributing to their broader community.

‘Having this forum has really given the students momentum in their meetings and discussions.  They are able to not only contribute to the Cornerstone community, but have a real and powerful place within the region.  It is sensational’.

Cass came armed with Pizza and questionnaires.  This visit the hot topic was the possibility of a Youth Centre being established within the town.  She presented a questionnaire which will allow the Shire to understand the specific needs and requirements of the youth within Busselton.  Each participant has been challenged to obtain two more completed surveys in the coming week, which will then be compiled and the results recorded.

The students were all very enthusiastic about this first discussion and really look forward to being a part of this inititiave over the coming months.  Every three months, Cass anticipates being able to present another topic for the youth to have a say on.

A wonderful initiative that is developing the leaders of tomorrow, by giving them a voice today.

Friday saw the inaugural Battle of the Forms event unfold in the Auditorium.  The Student Council hosted the event, which was a fundraiser for Lee Norman’s trip to Ghana as well as for Mercy Ships. 

The day began with students arriving at College in free-dress, some in spectacular hats and others with money to participate in an auction.    These all led to the variety concert at the end of the morning.

A number of highlights need to be mentioned.  The acts were all terrific, and some year groups spent considerable time in preparation for their performances. The Year 9′s music video was entertaining, the dramas by the Year 7 & 8 students were well put together and the Year 10′s had the audience participating well. 

But the over-all winner of the day, was the Year 10′s with their Tick Tock drama.  Some mighty fast hand-work was required to deliver the performance and the students were deserving of their win.

The hat parade was also entertaining, with a number of winners announced.  Competition divisions included: most colourful hat; most safety conscious hat; most elegant hat; most edible hat; and the best teacher’s hat.  A photo of the winners can be seen here.

The auction created quite a stir, with Mr Cameron barely being heard above the noise in the auditorium.  Some students bid on items that are likely to end up in Mum’s Christmas parcel, like Waffle Irons and Place-mats; whilst one student is taking home 8 golf clubs of varying sizes and 40 golf balls.  Several students had assistance in raising their arms by others surrounding them, so some surprises may be in order at the collection table!

Special thanks must go to the Student Council for their leadership in this event.  Well done!