Student Representative Councils

“Let your voice be heard”

At KIST, we aim to develop within students the capacity to take on and fulfill roles of leadership. One of the ways we do this is through providing opportunities for students to be active participants in their school community and school life. Through the development of Student Representative Councils (SRCs) in both the Elementary and Secondary Schools, we encourage students to work on developing leadership skills and taking an active role in their school.

Elementary SRC

The Elementary Student Representative Council (ESRC) is comprised of students from Grades 2 through 5 who are elected as class representatives by their peers. Each class is asked to choose four representatives, with each representative holding their position in the ESRC for a quarter of the school year. Representatives are expected to demonstrate leadership qualities by modelling good behavior through their words and actions.

Under the guidance of staff mentors, the representatives participate in weekly meetings to discuss issues of concern and formulate proposals for initiatives and projects on behalf of their peers. If the proposals are approved, they are then expected to take appropriate action in implementing the activities they have proposed.

Participation in the ESRC allows students to:

  • feel that their school responds to their needs and views;
  • have the opportunity to express their feelings and opinions about a wide range of issues that affect them;
  • organize social events and fundraisers;
  • develop decision-making skills and other life skills such as teamwork, responsibility, thoughtfulness, communication, organization, fairness, listening skills, reliability, confidence and leadership;
  • understand the nature of commitment and responsibility;
  • nurture a heightened self-esteem, arising from earning the respect of their peers and school staff:
  • promote democracy.

Some of the activities the ESRC has implemented include:

  • promoting the collection of Bell Marks;
  • arranging and leading Elementary School assemblies;
  • organizing an ‘odd socks day’ to celebrate our differences and raise awareness of bullying;
  • organizing a free dress day to raise money to support children affected by the Hokkaido earthquake.

Secondary SRC

The Secondary Student Representative Council (SRC) is a group of elected students who aim to improve the school community by:

  • Encouraging good citizenship among students.
  • Providing a communication channel between the school administration and students.
  • Creating and maintaining respectable and proud KIST traditions by organizing activities, events and fundraisers.
  • Proposing initiatives and suggestions to the school administration for the benefit of students, and if applicable, the wider school community.
  • Supporting initiatives and suggestions brought forward by the school administration for the benefit of the students and wider school community.
  • Collaborating with other schools, organizations and local citizens in order to establish a positive relationship.

The SRC is comprised of students from Grades 6 through 12, with two representatives per grade and five Executive members. Each homeroom in the Secondary School elects a class representative at the start of the school year. Class representatives are responsible for communicating ideas from their class group to the full SRC. Students from Grades 9 through 11 are also eligible to run for any of the five Executive positions—President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Public Relations Officer. Elections for Executive positions are held each year in December; each Secondary student has one vote, and the term of office runs for one calendar year from January to December.

A General Assembly (GA) meeting is held each week where all members discuss proposals and plan events such as free dress days or SRC dances. The Executives have an additional weekly meeting to decide the agenda of the week and discuss the proposals suggested at the GAs.

Selection to the SRC is a special privilege afforded to only a small number of students each year. SRC representatives are expected to act as role models to all students in the school by demonstrating exemplary behavior at all times in line with our three standards of conduct: respect, responsibility and safety, and by demonstrating their understanding of and commitment to the school’s mission, vision and guiding beliefs.

The SRC also has three active specialized committees which enable special focus in areas of particular interest:

  • The Arts Committee is responsible for promoting arts-related events in the school. It also assists with providing decorations for the SRC dance, winter concert and end-of-year concert. Additionally, it holds seasonal photo contests as an opportunity for students to express their artistic talents.
  • The Media Committee is responsible for promoting school events through various forms of media in order to keep students informed about club activities and sporting matches. It oversees NewsFlash, a bi-weekly news broadcast covering various school events and announcements.
  • The Sports Committee is responsible for running intramural sports events such as the KIST League in order to provide opportunities for students to engage in friendly competition across different grades.

Some regular activities that the SRC conducts include:

  • free dress days;
  • school dances;
  • ‘Welcome Back Festa’—SRC members make and distribute free cotton candy and shaved ice to students at the start of the year;
  • maintaining an Instagram account for the SRC as a platform to promote school events and to engage with students when they are not in school.

50% of the proceeds from free dress days are donated to an NGO that the SRC has chosen to support in a particular year. The remaining funds collected from SRC-led events are used to support student activities, such as the purchase of recess play equipment, uniforms for school sporting teams, and funding the ‘KISTory’ magazine—a annual collection of students’ works.

Future plans include:

  • conducting creative workshops such as drama or arts and crafts;
  • instituting a Sports Week for students to enjoy sports that they don’t usually get a chance to play such as touch rugby, cricket, goal ball etc.