Leadership and Opportunities

In order to create further opportunities to engender leadership best practices in our students, Académie Ste Cécile International School introduced the prefect system within its Boarding School in 2016.

At ASCIS, a prefect is a student in a position of relative authority who is trusted to exercise that authority by serving as a positive exemplar for his or her fellow students.

Prefects are assigned various responsibilities – and afforded certain privileges – beyond those that all ASCIS students share. Essentially, they are entrusted with assisting in the continual smooth operation of the school community, both during special events and throughout day-to-day campus life.

Specifically, prefects are asked to greet and direct guests to the school, supervise lunch periods, and assist younger students in various capacities. They also help to form a link between the student body and the staff by liaising with both parties.

School prefects are charged with ensuring the appropriate conduct of all members of the student body. This responsibility is particularly important when the school community gathers as a collective unit – for example during school assemblies, break periods, and meal times. When necessary, they have the right to report any member of the student body to an appropriate teacher or other authority figure.

In order to reflect on and develop their leadership skills, prefects attend regular meetings with teachers and administrative staff, at which they are able to discuss both routine matters and isolated issues in the greater school community.

Students who are honoured with this designation are expected to maintain a consistently high behavioural and social standard; as in the professional world, persons in privileged authoritative roles cannot have “off” days.

In particular, student prefects must consistently exercise fairness in their judgments. This requires a uniform code of standards and prohibits treating fellow students as “favourites” or “enemies.” Personal prejudices, however founded, must never interfere with the evenhanded administration of justice.

Prefects must respect the relationship between word and action by avoiding articulating empty promises and threats that cannot feasibly be carried out. Successful prefects will never find themselves in a position in which it would be difficult or impossible for members of staff to support them.

It is important to emphasize that the prefect title is a privilege, not a right. Students who do not take their responsibilities seriously may lose them.

At ASCIS, we expect our student prefects to acquire in their work valuable life lessons they will carry with them beyond their school years. To this end, we regularly supervise our prefects to ensure that they are performing their duties satisfactorily. In cases where they are not maintaining the highest standards in the execution of their duties, we work with them to improve their practice and understanding of the role.

Student Ambassador Program

The Student Ambassador Program is a group of outstanding students selected based on their strong commitment to excellence and their school community to represent ASCIS. Throughout the school year, Student Ambassadors are teamed up with new and prospective students to guide and mentor as they provide insight into their experiences as ASCIS students. Student Ambassadors also act as liaisons between the student body and administration, providing valuable insight as to how well students are transitioning and interacting with one another on a broader scope.

Downtown Mission

The Downtown Mission provides assistance to those in our community struggling with poverty and homelessness. Small groups (12-15 students) of ASCIS students volunteer at the Mission one day a month. While at the Mission students work in the food bank, help to prepare and serve lunch and assist in any other needed tasks. This provides students with an opportunity to participate in and give back to our community.

Yearbook Team

Our media group is very excited to get started on our yearbook this year. We are working together as a team with a strong focus on student self-governance and organization in order to enable each student to experience both leadership and team member roles.

The students have already decided on a theme that focuses on a clear and high quality aesthetic with an emphasis on quality photos, videos, use of technology and an overall sense of gratitude. They have started to establish expectations that ensure that each student will be held accountable to the team for their responsibilities. Each task, no matter how small or large is vital to enabling the rest of the team to be able to complete their tasks successfully and make this the best yearbook yet.

With the enthusiasm and strong ideas we have experienced so far, we are off to a great start. Any parents, family members and friends’ who have taken photos/videos from any of our events, games, sport events and/or activities as well as any great memories to share with us, please forward them to Ms. K at kkovosi@stececile.ca so that we can use them to showcase our fantastic students and their personal, athletic and academic achievements.

Thank you for helping us create this project as an ASCIS community project.

Sincerely, Ms. Kovosi and the 2019-2020 Media Students.