Losing Yourself in the Service of Others
At today’s assembly, I thanked our current Head Girl, Izzy Farag and Head Boy, Owen Smith for their commitment to the school throughout this year and reminded students that serving the needs of others is an important dimension of leadership.
Mahatma Gandhi observed “that the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” In other words, placing the needs of others before your own is an important step on the journey of self-discovery.
This idea is worth considering as we approach next Monday’s Head Girl and Boy election. Taking on an important school leadership role in your final year of high school is a good example of putting the needs of the school community ahead of your own. Grade 12 is the year when important decisions are made about the next steps in a student’s educational path. For better or worse, grades play an important role in obtaining entrance to the program of your choice. Assuming a public role within the school creates additional work for our Head Girl and Boy in a critical year of their high school career.
With the concept of selflessness in mind, I want to commend Izzy and Owen on their leadership of the student body this year. They have sacrificed hanging out with their peers to greet students at the front door on a daily basis, even on those chilly winter mornings. They have given up some of their spares to meet with Mr. Way and me to help us manage the transition to the new building. They have modelled for all of us kindness and commitment, and in doing so have continued the strong tradition of student leadership here at the school.
You have an important decision to make on Monday. You have taken time this week to get to listen to the seven candidates and you will have one more chance to do so during Monday’s speeches. At Greenwood, every member of the community casts a vote and each vote is weighted equally. Consequently, each vote matters. So as you make your decision next week, you might want to ask yourself which two candidates have the potential to be a selfless leader who will serve all of Greenwood.
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Placing the needs of others before your own is an important step on the journey of self-discovery.
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