Student Life
Student Leadership
A Progressive Leadership Journey from Grade 6 to Graduation
Leadership at SJK is not a title—it is a developmental journey. Beginning in the Lower School and expanding through Middle and Upper Years, our Student Leadership Model provides authentic, age-appropriate opportunities for students to lead with integrity, empathy, and initiative.
Rooted in our School’s long-standing traditions and refined through modern leadership frameworks aligned with the International Baccalaureate (IB), SJK’s model empowers students to contribute meaningfully to their community while building the skills universities, employers, and the world value most.
Our graduates leave not only with leadership experience on paper, but with the confidence, character, and competence to lead beyond our campus.
Lower School Student Leadership
Grade 6 | Building Foundations
The Lower School Leadership Team introduces students to formal leadership in a supportive, guided environment. Grade 6 students apply the collaboration, communication, and self-management skills they have developed throughout their Lower School years while gaining hands-on experience in planning events, supporting school initiatives, and mentoring younger students.
Leadership at this stage is exploratory and inclusive. Students attend meetings, participate in initiatives, and learn what it means to take responsibility for their community. With teacher mentorship, they begin to see themselves as capable contributors whose actions make a visible difference.
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Grade 6 Leaders at the Food Bank
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Assembly Organized by Middle Years Leaders
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Middle Years Student Leadership
Grades 7–8 | Discovering Potential
In the Middle Years, leadership becomes more student-driven. The Middle Years Leadership Team is self-selected, empowering students to step forward and recognize their leadership potential before entering the more formal Upper Years structure.
Students collaborate on assemblies, social events, service initiatives, and school projects while strengthening their Approaches to Learning skills in communication, organization, and teamwork. Supported by faculty mentors, they learn to lead with initiative while also understanding the importance of listening, supporting, and following when needed.
This stage builds confidence, voice, and readiness for increased responsibility.
Upper Years Student Leadership
Grades 9–12 | Leading with Impact
Beginning in the 2026–27 Academic Year, SJK begins a redesigned Student Council structure modelled after leadership frameworks at leading independent schools. This modernized approach distributes responsibility across six councils—Athletics, Arts, Community Impact, Spirit, STEM, and Student Experience—ensuring students lead in areas aligned with their strengths and passions.
Students apply through a structured and competitive process and commit to a full year of leadership. Prefects and Council Members manage projects, plan major events, elevate student voice, lead philanthropic initiatives, and strengthen school culture. Faculty mentors coach and guide, while intentionally providing students with genuine ownership and accountability.
The result is leadership that prepares students for university, careers, and global citizenship. Graduates leave SJK with meaningful, interview-ready experience grounded in initiative, collaboration, ethical decision-making, and service.
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Student Council
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Tradition and Transformation
Student leadership has long been a defining part of the SJK experience. Today, that tradition continues within a modern, IB-aligned framework that reflects how leadership operates beyond school walls.
Our alumni and supporters understand that leadership development is one of the most enduring investments a school can make. Through progressive opportunities at every stage, SJK ensures students are not waiting to lead in the future—they are leading now.
St. John's-Kilmarnock School
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