There is so much more to our lives than just our own selves. Our families, our friends, our colleagues, our connections: There is nature, the great outdoors, and the animal world. The richness of arts and culture, the challenges of sport and the benefits of exercise. Beauty in architecture, science and human creativity. Delicious food and social opportunities to come together and share it. We could go on and on. Studies show that engaging with aspects of life ‘beyond our own selves’ is one of the best things we can do to promote our positive mental health and spiritual wellbeing, which is why delivering on this particular aspect of our MIS mission is, in some ways, the greatest gift we can give to our students.
At MIS, students can contribute to their school community in an impressive variety of ways. Some of these are through formalised student leadership groups, such as our Playground Leaders in the Junior School, our Tech Support Crew in both Junior and Middle Schools, and of course, the Student Councils in each school section. I could name many more examples across MIS. Others are roles where individuals may choose, or be asked, to lead within a smaller community in our school: perhaps as Captain of one of our Wildcats teams, or as Student Representative on the MIS Foundation. Furthermore, every day, both during school and in the Student Life Programme, students are taught and encouraged to develop and display leadership skills to help foster engagement in their learning, far beyond absorbing content.
Taking the lead, or showing leadership behaviours are just one approach to increasing a sense of belonging. Taking pride in one’s contributions is another. When we cheer the Wildcats on, we are cheering for all of MIS – not just the group of athletes on the pitch, court or track. When students demonstrate their learning, they are encouraged to be proud of their achievements for themselves, not just to impress the teacher! And when the MIS community comes together for whole-school events – such as Whole School Assembly fast-approaching on Thursday 6th November, ISST Wildcat White n’ Blue day on Friday 14th, or the MIS Winter Celebration on Sunday 30th – we are there to connect with, and be proud of, the community of which we are part.
One of my favourite famous quotations is this one, attributed to author Maya Angelou: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” When we speak about engaging with our community, belonging to our community, and taking pride in our community, we are predominantly speaking about feelings. And if our students feel they can engage in school, and that they belong to MIS with pride – now and long into their futures – then we are on a good path.
Sarah Ford
Director of Student Life
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