We believe that leadership development is very important for our young people and for this reason the school nominates and elects students annually to support our younger students. Students are encouraged to volunteer to become part of the Green Schools’ Committee (all Year Groups), Student Council (all Year Groups), Sports Council (TY & 5th Year), Prefects (TY & 5th Years) and Peer Mentors (TY- Jigsaw).

 

The Green Schools’ Committee is an important part of our community and helps us to ensure that we stick to our annual plan and targets. This includes energy saving and recycling.

The Student Council is elected each year from students in each year group. It sets targets for what it wants to achieve in school improvement and is a vital link between the teachers, Principal and Deputy Principal of OLM as well as the Board of Management.

The Sports Council is elected each year. It plays an important role in our sports community in OLM, helping out and taking leadership roles in many of our extracurricular activities.

Prefects act as positive role models within the school and they receive training to help in this important role. They are encouraged to report incidents of concern for example, minor damage to school property, bullying or isolation. The prefects act as friendly and caring mentors for younger students.

Peer Mentors deliver a Jigsaw Peer Education programme. This is a programme where senior students are trained to deliver a 40 minute presentation called ‘It’s Time to Start Talking’ to junior students. The presentation builds awareness of youth mental health, explores what kind of things help and hurt our mental health, and emphasizes the importance of seeking help when feeling down, worried or stressed.

Student Wellbeing Committee: Students from all year groups can become members. It focuses on all areas of student wellbeing such as positive mental health, gender, sexuality and equality. It acts as a social space to interact with peers and as a positive meeting space for LGBTI+ students.

JPII and Ember Programme: Students from TY to 6th Year engage with the RE Department to complete the John Paul II award (TY) and possible progress to the Ember Programme in 5th Year. These groups of students represent our Catholic ethos and are hugely important in the organisation of our liturgical calendar. They also engage in many community works, including preparation of primary school students for the holy sacraments. They act as mentors to younger students in our school community and are very active in promoting the Mercy ethos of our school through their invaluable work.