Scotch College

Leadership on the Hill

Practical and personal challenges

Leadership is important in any school context. That certainly includes the Scotch Boarding House, where young men are encouraged to take leadership roles to help their fellow boarders, while gaining valuable experience themselves as potential leaders in the wider community.

The Captain of the Boarding House – known as the ‘Captain of the Hill’ – has a democratically elected leadership team to support him (each House has a captain and two vice-captains) together, of course, with the live-in staff members who head each House. As well, every other Year 12 boy in the Boarding House is a House or ‘Hill’ prefect, and each has his own leadership role to perform.

All House prefects are issued with a unique ‘Hill Prefect’ badge in a ceremony at the start of the year, and the Captain of the Hill and the other House Captains have their names proudly displayed on the honour boards in the dining hall and in each House.

To make sure matters important to the boarders are openly discussed and action is taken by the leadership group, a ‘boarders’ forum’ meets twice a term to thrash out issues. Forum members consist of one boarder from each year level in each House, elected by the boys. There’s keen competition to be elected to the forum: in one House, pre-election speeches are made and ‘policy’ manifestos issued!

James Lamont, Captain of the Hill in 2006, told Great Scot that Hill leaders’ duties are wide ranging. ‘We’re responsible for making sure the boys get up in time for school in the morning, go to bed at the right time at night, do their homework, put away sports equipment and keep their rooms tidy,’ James said. ‘We also ring the bells and supervise kitchen cleanliness in each house.

‘For the Wedderburn Cup – the sports competition between the Boarding Houses – the senior boys select teams and help to run the competition.

‘We also supervise the Year 11 ‘buddy’ system. That’s where a Year 11 boy is assigned to mentor a first-year boarder, but it actually begins before a new boy starts at Scotch. Each Year 11 ‘buddy’ writes a letter to the boy he’s been assigned to, and then accompanies him to the new boys’ camp in first term.

‘All of us know what it can be like to be a new boarder, so we appreciate the importance of having a ‘buddy’. They need to be accessible, understanding and helpful to the young boarders.’

James said the leadership group was also conscious of being role models. ‘We do realise that the younger boys look up to us and have expectations, so we can’t let our guard down, really.’

Asked if leadership training would stand him in good stead for being a leader in the wider world, he thought for a moment. ‘Yes, I’m sure it will. However, on a day-to-day basis in the Boarding House I guess to us it’s more practical. It’s a matter of keeping things running smoothly, addressing issues, being aware if anyone is unhappy or needs special attention, and all the while responding to the personal challenges Year 12 places on us,’ he said.

David Ashton