Head Girl Letter

Dear Mr Humphreys,
I am writing this letter to express my interest in the role of Head Girl at Oasis Academy Mayfield commencing September 2015. While compiling my application and putting thought into the questions presented to me, I began to consider what it means to take on this role within the academy, the qualities and experience I possess that would benefit me within this position and what I could possibly impact during my final year at Oasis Academy Mayfield.
What does the role of 'Head Girl' mean to me and others within the academy?
I believe the role of Head Girl is not a position that should be taken lightly as you become a representative of the school itself. This means interacting and connecting not only primarily with other students and staff within the Academy, but the external community. Not only has Oasis always been a network of schools around the world but also a support system, fundraising for other academies and being an advocate of inclusion and equality. This is emanated in all aspects of the Academy and should therefore be a play a huge part when undertaking and applying for Head Girl.

A Head Girl should be the critical link between the students and staff, and consequently needs to be confident and well suited to a leadership position. They need to be able to listen effectively to the many voices within the Academy and not only compile them, but address and act on these ideas. This requires a great deal of confidence and organisation skills, as well as initiative and perseverance to achieve goals. As an ambassador of the Academy they would need to show model behaviour both inside and outside of school and be willing to give up their free time to aid the Academy on the road to excellence.

Why would I make a good Head Girl?
Being at Oasis Academy has taught me many things about the importance of hard work and commitment. Coming into secondary school back in 2011 I wasn't aware of the challenges I would face in terms of deadlines and just how much effort maintaining steady progress required, but I was quickly able to overcome these hurdles and applied myself to try and the best version of myself I could be.

 I have been a part many clubs both inside and outside of school to develop my confidence and ability to work independently and in groups. These include the Scouting Association of which I have been a member for around four and a half years, and recently gave up to ensure that I could properly apply myself to coursework and revision in these vital months leading up to my deadlines and introduction to my final year of Oasis. Being in the Scouting Community taught me what it is like to work within a group of people from varying and contrasting backgrounds and how to problem solve, including dealing with difficulties in friendships. I also raised money for charity involving providing clean water to impoverished parts of Africa, and was given the amazing opportunity to spend 3 days in the Brecon Beacons hiking and learning orienteering with Alisha Oldbury. This experience is one I will never forget as the support we had to give each other while climbing, the feeling of achievement after finally reaching the top and setting up camp, taught me that hard work gives such a great reward and the only way you will be able to see results is if you are willing to put in the effort.

These experiences is what inspired me to become part of the Student Leadership Team in years eight and nine and ultimately the Peer Mentors. The ideas of my fellow classmates has always been very important to me as well as their emotional wellbeing, as this is a subject I am very passionate about. Going through the training  to become a Peer Mentor really gave me the taster of what it is like being able to guide others and the responsibility of being a figure of support. This solidified my desire to be Head Girl to be able to carry on having an impact on my peers and inspire people in the younger years to do the same. Currently I am on the fundraising committee and have been working with Miss Westerling and Rachael Hanna to organise cake sales for Sport Relief which raised around £70 and the Red Nose Day cake sale occurring on the 13th of March plus my duties as a Vivo Ambassador.

In addition to my extra curricular activities my attitude towards my learning within the Academy has always been positive and I have been able to constantly exceed targets set for me by my teachers. Instead of only completing the work required I try and go the extra mile in every subject to build up a clear and solid understanding of what I am being asked to complete. Despite my on target grades I believe that with effort and revision the potential for improvement is limitless and all opportunities offered to me should be taken and used to better myself. In my first real GCSE exam last year in statistics I was able to achieve a grade A  due to my dedication and commitment to the subject and I plan to put in the same amount of effort in future GCSEs to ensure that I attain the highest grades possible to apply to a good college. If I were to be put in the role of Head Girl I would apply this mentality to the position and make sure that not only I but other people were benefitting from the ideas proposed and the projects would be seen to completion to the best of my ability.

How could I affect the school if given the role of Head Girl?
One of the subjects I previously mentioned was my passion on the subject of mental health in young adults. Some form of mental illness will affect 1 in 4 people within their lifetime and a large percentage of this occurs during adolescence. Due to this I think it is important to raise awareness of this issue and make information about this widely available to those who either do not know or want to learn more about it, as well as breaking down social taboos around the subject. Our Peer Mentor program is a brilliant way for students to support each other through emotional difficulties and it is a huge leap for the school. I think Oasis Academy Mayfield could do even more by allying themselves with mental health charities and arranging events where representatives come in to speak to different year groups or even  houses. This could be difficult to implement but I believe it could be very beneficial to the students and increase the community Oasis reaches out to.

Regardless of subject matter I would give 100% effort to whatever ideas and projects the Academy would want to implement and I think I could be a strong leader in the next Senior Student Leadership Team. I want to help provide an environment where students of all abilities can flourish and become the best versions of themselves they can. I am a responsible, driven student and genuinely care for the progress and wellbeing of both the students, staff and overall Oasis community.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter of application, I look forward to hearing your feedback.

Yours Sincerely,
Zoe Bessant