Kolbe recently won a 2023 CEWA QCE Award for two new staff leadership programs launched at the beginning of the year. The programs, called the Hikari Emerging Leaders Program and the Shio Middle Leaders Program, were created by members of our Executive and Senior Leadership teams with support from CEWA leadership consultants. Twenty one Kolbe teachers and support staff applied to take part in 2023 and a particularly unique and exciting aspect of the programs is that non-teaching staff are involved in a space that is often reserved for teachers. In addition, the inclusion of a 2-day residential retreat as part of the Shio Middle Leaders program was another facet that was highly successful in its inaugural year.
With over 90 project applications across all categories in this year’s awards, it was a highlight for the College to be named the secondary school winner in the Stewardship category. On Monday October 16, the QCE Awards breakfast was hosted in the River Room at Optus Stadium where a selection of special guests and guest speakers addressed the assembled educators and presented the awards, amongst them the Hon. Dr. Tony Buti MLA, the Minister for Education’ Aboriginal Affairs; Citizenship and Multicultural interests in WA.
Amongst the Kolbe representatives at the breakfast were Jess Hays, College Accountant who completed the Shio Middle Leaders program this year, and Camille Wilson, HPE teacher and House Coordinator, who is part of the Hikari Emerging Leaders experience.
The naming of our new leadership programs came from the College’s deep connection to Japan through Maximilian Kolbe’s story. Hikari means ‘light’ while Shio means ‘salt’. This imagery underpins the core intention of the programs: “You are the light of world” (Matthew 5:14) for how emerging leaders forge their own paths and light the way for others, and “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13) for the wisdom, experience and constancy that our middle leaders bring to our community. Congratulations to all involved in this exciting initiative.