From left: Orange house leaders, Jane Cribb and Riley Vessey, Green house leaders, Sapphire Kururangi and Isaac Bazley, deputy head students, Kyle Cabangun and Maria Costas, head students, Poppy Killworth and Henry Chapman, Blue house leaders, Liam Sullivan and Harriet Leverton, Red house leaders, Joseph Collins and Teresa Herewini. Photo Heather MackenzieIt’s always been a pathway towards strong leadership during the schooling year and the Ashburton College leadership camp for 2020 was no different.

Held over three days last week, the camp again proved to be a popular start to the academic year for those who took part after they expressed an interest in taking up a leadership role during their final year of school.

The camp is designed to build confidence and develop leadership skills.

Head girl for 2020, Poppy Kilworth, said 40 of her school peers joined her and head boy Henry Chapman for the three-day camp at the Glenroy Lodge in Hororata, led by the Christian group Horizon.

On offer for the young leaders were outdoor activities including raft building, high ropes, abseiling and walking though Cave Stream, in addition they attended workshops outlining what makes a good leader.

Kilworth said there were a lot of takeaway moments from the camp.

“We learnt there are many different leadership styles and anyone could actually be a leader,” she said.

The time spent together meant stronger bonds developed between the school’s leaders during the course of the camp.

“We all grew closer, and more comfortable, with each other – we had to work as a team to build the raft for example, you couldn’t do it by yourself.”

Deputy principal Ron Cresswell said he was proud of the 2020 leadership team and is looking forward to working with them.

“The more student-led involvement we have at the school the happier we are,” Cresswell said

Kilworth and Chapman agree there is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to leadership.

“Specific personality traits may not be immediately apparent as leadership qualities, but they could end up working to your advantage and make for a great leader,” said Kilworth.

The group also spent time talking about and understanding above and below the line behaviour.

The concept was reportedly first mentioned by English author Carly Taylor in her book Walking the Talk, where she also credits Robert Kiyosaki with the notion.

The popular personal development philosophy focuses on individuals being accountable, taking ownership and being responsible for their actions – classed as above the line behaviour, and being aware of below the line traits – like apportioning blame, making excuses and finding fault.

Again, Kilworth and Chapman agreed this knowledge was going to be a help to all the leadership team.

“I looked back over the three days and thought there were times when I had dipped below the line.”

However, Kilworth is well aware that it is not possible to stay above the line 100 per cent of the time.

“In order to stay above the line, you have to share the load with others in the team, and in doing that, everybody can take part in building a strong team together,” she said.

By Heather Mackenzie © The Ashburton Guardian - 6 February 2020