Kyabram P-12 College’s four senior leaders are set to champion inclusivity and combat bullying as they take the helm in 2025, aiming to create a more welcoming environment for all students.

Each captain stepped into the leadership team with a shared goal: to make a meaningful difference in their school community.

The four share a strong friendship with one another, which was evident when the Free Press sat down to chat about why they wanted to become a school leader.

Isobella Church said she wanted to become a leader to be a ‘voice’ for the students.

“There's a lot of kids who just want to come to younger people instead of teachers to be their voice,” she said.

After overcoming a challenging period of bullying in Year 10 and spending time in the workforce, Chloe Heald decided to return to school, determined to pursue her dream career.

“Schooling has been really hard for me over the last seven years, and I wanted to be able to show the kids and everybody that you can come out on top of it all, and you can go beyond it. You’re not limited to what you go through,” she said.

Patrick Henderson is new to the school, Kyabram and Australia, having moved from Canada last year for his last years of study — and he thought, what better way to get involved than through the school leadership program.

“I just wanted to be more involved in the community. I’m a pretty shy person, so I wanted to put myself out there and get more involved in the community,” he said.

Similarly, Ruby Phillips had something to prove when she went for her captaincy position.

“A lot of people told me I wasn’t good enough when I was younger. I couldn’t do (leadership). I proved them wrong,” she said.

This year’s cohort of captains brings a wealth of personal experience and unwavering commitment to their roles, with a particular focus on eradicating bullying—a cause close to their hearts due to their own encounters with it.

“I want to be the person who puts a stop to (bullying) before it gets out of hand. I want to see people’s behaviours change,” Isobella said.

“Bullying is a disease,” Chloe said.

“I want to be able to teach people and show people that we’re bigger than (bullying) and we’re going to be okay,” she said.

Outside of school, the group are passionate about getting out in the community; whether that be through work, groups or community volunteer positions.

Patrick is trying to ingrain himself into the community, slowly but surely.

He has joined the Kyabram SES, wanting to gain some hands-on experience in the community in a way that matters.

Ruby works at Woolworths and is known around town, partly because her mum also works there.

She is also an avid homeworker and is known by the rest of the leadership team as having an amazing work ethic outside of school.

Looking forward to what lays ahead of high school, the quad is rightly ambitious.

Isobella is looking towards next year with her target set on university, specifically paediatrics and neurological disorders.

She said the year she spent in hospital — teaching herself how to walk and talk again — has inspired her to want to pursue a career in paediatrics.

“I just want to be in that field that helps people and inspires people to do more because we need more in the medical field,” Isobella said.

Chloe’s family has been struggling with IVF, which inspired her to want to pursue a Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery in Bendigo because she wants to be the person who helps others going through the same tough situation.

Patrick doesn’t have anything pinned down at the moment, but is interested in civics and politics, and is working towards that career by participating in Youth Parliament this year.

Ruby is a performer, and wants to pursue performance after school, but is unsure about how viable a career in the industry will be — so she’s testing the waters but is keen to explore different avenues.

With these passionate and forward-thinking leaders steering the ship, Kyabram P-12 College is set to embark on a groundbreaking and inclusive journey for the 2025 academic year.

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Sunday, 2nd March 2025

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