Mia Lapsley

Being the head girl of St Columbas High School is something in which I would take great pride in. I am hard working, motivated and determined and believe I would achieve all tasks I put my mind to in this role. Throughout my years at St Columba’s, I have taken part in activities which have grown communication skills, such as presentations and school show. I believe I can connect with my peers, teachers and other pupils from the school from all backgrounds and ages, with ease. As well as this, I am a very friendly and approachable person and would hope anyone in SCHS would feel comfortable coming to me with any concerns they may have with confidence and I will try my best to resolve them. From my role as literacy leader, I have developed great leadership and teamwork skills. I believe I will be able to tackle any challenging situations that I come across as head girl. If elected I would ensure everyone has a voice, feels comfortable and safe but most importantly strive to be the best Head girl I can be to give back to the school.

If elected as Head Girl I will ensure all duties expected of me will be completed, working alongside the Head boy and deputes as part of a team to solve any problems and concerns that our peers of younger school members may have. I will go the extra mile to make sure that I make a difference as head girl to improve SCHS, making this year a successful one and be a role model for upcoming head girls. Not only will I make sure that this will be a successful year for all years, it will be a memorable one for 6th years. I will make sure that 6th year have the best last year possible and leave SCHS at ease, ready to begin our next chapter in life. I will try to achieve this by ensuring the smooth running and organisation of prom, yearbook and leavers hoodies, making sure everyone has a say. As well as looking after our 6th years, I want to make sure that first years coming into the school will feel comfortable during their transition and new 4th years who will be starting exams are supported, as this can be an extremely nerve racking time.

St Columbas is well known for its core values and ethos and I believe it is important that they are upheld. For example, respecting the rights of others and making sure every child is aware of their rights by making information more accessible throughout the school, creating posters and posting on social media. As head girl, I would continue to support and promote this core value of the school as I believe it is an important part of our identity as a high school. In August we are expecting the new first years and it is important to me that we make them feel comfortable and welcomed as a school, regardless of whether I am elected or not. Being head girl would allow me to bring forward ideas to make this transition as smooth as possible for them. I feel strongly about addressing social issues such as bullying and the dangers of social media alongside the mental health ambassadors to improve our awareness of these issues as a school and try our best to tackle them. I believe it is important to work to ensure every pupil has mental health support and feels there is a safe place in school to go to. Finally, I feel strongly about inclusivity and making sure everyone in the school has a voice and as head girl I would make sure that they everyone is heard.