Student Leadership

At Oaklands, each year we have a refresh of the Student leadership Team. This year was the third iteration of the current model.

Before I joined Oaklands Catholic School, I had never experienced an environment where students took direct responsibility and involvement in planning events, alongside staff. This always perplexed me because how can we, the main participants in education, not be involved in these processes? I was delighted, therefore, when I heard about the existence and influence of the Student Leadership Team here at Oaklands.

The engagement of the Student Leaders shows how much the school and Sixth Form staff encourage us to use our voices and embody the collective message, ‘Community Unity Opportunity’. Although I started my role as Student President not too long ago, myself and the team already have several exciting plans. With the help of my Vice President, Emily Bray, our incredible Student Leadership Team, including Ashley Song, Jeffrey Mamman (Charism Team Leaders), Cerys Colley (Co-Curriculum Team Leader), Isobel Whyte (Pastoral Team Leader), Marvel Soyan and Sakura Cheragh (Curriculum Team Leaders), and Veeya Paul and Camille Nase (Secretaries), I look forward to an exciting list of events throughout the rest of this term and into next year.

We have some great activities planned for the rest of this academic year, starting with a Sixth Form charity event named ‘Sleep Out to Help Out’. Sixth Formers will be camping out on the school field (under Mr Godwin’s supervision!) to raise funds and awareness for those who do not have a bed to sleep in, or even sleep outside. We have also started planning our ‘Oaklands at the Seaside’ Summer Concert and we hope this will be an amazing way to finish this academic year. Culture Week is just one way we celebrate our school’s values and the diversity that lies not just in Oaklands, but in the entire world. Planning for next year’s Culture Week has already started, focusing on how we can involve more people, especially those who weren’t able to do it previously.

The Autumn term is usually a busy one for Year 13 students who will be concentrating on UCAS statement writing and university applications. To spread the load, we are planning to involve more Year 12, Year 11 and Year 10 students in the preparations. The amount of work our Leadership Teams put in shows how dedicated they are to their work, and that deserves recognition and appreciation. Lastly, I would like to thank Mr Sumba and Mr Godwin, who offer us support and encouragement throughout everything we do. Although our journey is only just beginning, I feel it is never too early to say thank you. Of course, our previous President and Vice President, Leona and Nadia, deserve just as much praise and a big thank you for the legacy they left for Oaklands, one which we will continue to treasure and keep alive.

Larisa Antemir, Student President (2024-2025)

Updated Summer 2024