Leading Without a Badge: Student Leadership in Middle School at Scots College
When we talk about student leadership at Scots, most people think of the badges – Prefects, House Leaders, and team captains. Those roles matter, and the students who hold them work hard for them. But they are only part of the picture. In the Middle School, a lot of the leadership happens without a title attached.
It is a Year 9 student organising extra haka practices. It is a netball team picking each other up after a hard loss. It is two Year 10 students who, with two minutes to go before table tennis and not enough players, went and found one. None of these students were asked to step up. They saw something that needed doing and got on with it.
We see leadership as something you do, not something you are given. A badge tells you who holds a role; it does not tell you who the leaders are. The habits that matter – turning up, taking initiative, backing your teammates, and owning the result – are the same one’s students will rely on long after they leave Scots. It is a big part of what we mean by Learning. For Life.
Seven Middle School students share what leading without a badge looks like for them, in their own words.
Leading Through Culture and the Arts
Raife Castle (Year 9) – Hakataetae
Leading and supporting the Hakataetae at Scots is not just about being the loudest or knowing all the actions; it is about helping others, building confidence, and bringing everyone together. It means organising small practices, taking on leadership roles within the haka, and encouraging others to try their best. Even though I do not have Māori heritage, Hakataetae still means something to me culturally because it represents strength, unity, respect, and who we can be as students of Scots College.
William Kay (Year 9) – House Music
House Music gave me the opportunity to lead without a badge in a few different ways. For the big group, I was responsible for the lighting. In this role, I contributed by sharing ideas with my partner, spending time outside of school designing light cues, and finding what designs worked best for the song the House was dancing to. I also led in the small group by consistently coming to practices and taking initiative to learn my part.
Leading in Sport
Sarah Farrell (Year 8) – Fixtures
I was fortunate enough to be in the first netball team for Years 7–8 sport. Alongside my team, we competed against other schools in exhilarating fixtures. I can admit that our team does not win every fixture, but we pick ourselves up through hard losses and tough matches, and we never let anything dull our spirit.
That is why leading without a badge is so important to me. Being a leader, for me, is not just telling my teammates what to do, having a loud voice, or being chosen to give speeches. I believe the qualities of a leader are also to be supportive and bring out the best in each other. That is why I am so proud to be part of a team full of leaders who do not need the badge to prove it.
Mataio Fatialofa (Year 8) – Fixtures
To be a leader, you do not have to have a captain's armband or be the best player on your team – you just have to lead by example and show values that create a good team culture. Values such as communicating, supporting, and leading by actions can influence your team to be the best they can be. A good team culture builds confidence and belief within the team, which can then improve overall team performance.
“I am so proud to be part of a team full of leaders who do not need the badge to prove it.”
— Sarah Farrell, Year 8
Leading in the Classroom
William Lin (Year 8) – Class Captain
Being a class captain gave me the chance to stand up and test my limits while everyone else sat down. At the start of the term, I gave a speech to convince my classmates to vote for me – basically the world's smallest election. After being elected, I represented my class and later read a report about term events and upcoming activities. This mildly harrowing experience showed me that leadership is not really about wearing a badge, but about speaking up, helping out, and (occasionally) pretending that you know what you are doing.
Missing Out on a Badge
Vesper Sinclair and Mia Thompson (Year 10) – Peer Mentoring
A lot of people think that, as soon as you get the message saying you did not get a leadership role, it is all over. But the badge does not make a leader. The work you put in does.
We gave an inspirational talk to the Uttley Year 9s explaining why leading without a badge is so important. We explained how we had both applied for a leadership role but were turned down; however, this did not stop us from helping out and always trying to be the best role models.
For example, when we had table tennis recently, four people had signed up, but Mia and I were the only ones there. It was starting in two minutes, and we were very stressed. So we ran up and recruited another Uttley student to help us. This saved us.
Thinking on your feet, always lending a helping hand, and not letting that message knock your confidence can help you be the leader you want to be.
“The badge does not make a leader. The work you put in does.”
— Vesper Sinclair and Mia Thompson, Year 10
What Leading Without a Badge Looks Like
Seven students, seven different settings, but the same habits keep coming up:
- Turning up consistently, even when no one is keeping score
- Taking initiative before being asked
- Encouraging teammates, especially after a loss
- Speaking up for others and representing them well
- Thinking on your feet when plans fall apart
- Staying a role model after missing out on a formal role
These are the qualities we look for in future Prefects and captains. They matter just as much in the students who never wear a badge.
Want to know more about student life and leadership in the Middle School at Scots?