Service & Leadership

Student Leadership at HIS

Leadership is an essential element in the development of a student, both as an individual and as a member of the school community. A ‘Student Leader’ is typically a student who takes up (normally through an application process) a position of leadership in a school and who is committed to making a difference within the life of that school. The aim of ‘Student Leadership’ within HIS is to give students a chance to develop their leadership skills through creating opportunities for them to contribute to the running of the school. ‘Student Leadership’ is a valuable way to express ‘pupil voice’. It is a way for students to take ownership of the spaces, places, systems and identity of their school and to think how to make them ‘work better’ for everyone.

HIS has created a space for our students to gain leadership experience, to display initiative and to illustrate passion and drive. An essential aspect of the university application process, particularly when applying for Scholarships, is the ability to show these qualities. Essentially students need to display a level of independence and initiative, going beyond what the school offers and looking for ways to work with and impact the community. Specifically, in an environment such as this, there is a wealth of community-focused projects available for students to be involved in. Taking the initiative to join a group, start a group or to volunteer for something outside of the school indicates a level of maturity and development that Universities are interested in. Universities are looking for students who can bring valuable experiences to their school while indicating that they are socially minded and willing to give back to local communities. In this regard, closely aligned to our Strategic Priorities, HIS focuses on developing leadership opportunities for all students.

Student leadership lies at the heart of improving our school and enabling all students to realise their potential. It builds the necessary skills, confidence and motivation for students to engage directly in the wider improvement of the school and, in particular, in the improvement of the learning experience. It enables all students to become advocates for their own needs and the needs of others. It lies at the heart of building a sense of community and trust in our school and builds effective relationships. Leadership quite simply lies at the heart of our moral purpose.

Taking on a leadership role requires a great deal of commitment and balance. A student leader needs to keep in mind that taking on a role of leadership cannot be for personal gain or to line letters of recommendation. Leadership within a school community means making a conscious decision to make a difference to the members of that community, to contribute to the student body, to be a positive role model at all times and to develop their group and leave a legacy.

Service at HIS

One of the key goals of a HIS education states that our students will make a positive difference in the lives of others. Furthermore, Harare International school benefits from its geographic diversity, and we believe it is our responsibility to respect our host country and identify opportunities to provide tangible and sustainable support to our school and local community.

Our students participate in service learning opportunities appropriate for their age, including school sustainability programmes and community outreach that seeks longer term and reciprocal relationships with local groups. Students often lead these initiatives with guidance from our teachers, developing their own ideas and plans, and executing them themselves. During the process, our students learn social responsibility, leadership and empathy, developing an understanding of their role in the school community, the local community and the outside world.

Service learning forms an essential part of shaping character values and dispositions that can alter the lives of our students and those they support. This is an integral component of a truly holistic education that we dedicate resources and time to in order to develop a culture that will enable these values to flourish.

Juru/ Kadyamadare School

Juru project is more of a cross-cultural exchange program, experiencing what Zimbabwe and Zimbabweans are like and get to experience how ordinary Zimbabweans survive on a day-to-day basis. HIS students get the opportunity to make new friends and form strong bonds .By this experience HIS students build self-confidence and self-esteem, adapt to new surroundings and there is always a sense of accomplishment when one completes this exercise.

Our students gain a deeper understanding of themselves and those around them get a deeper knowledge of Zimbabwean culture. Through this HIS students develop leadership skills, self-confidence and get a better understanding of Zimbabwean culture by living as Zimbabweans do, an opportunity that foreigners miss.

Grade 11s get to visit Juru a number of times after EZ, firstly to do land preparation, followed by another trip for weeding and fertilizing and lastly harvesting.

Harare Children’s Home

The Harare International School’s Harare Children’s Home service club provides HIS students with an opportunity to serve those less fortunate than themselves. The relationship between the HIS and the Harare Children’s Home is a long standing one and the club’s aim is to foster meaningful relationships between our students and the orphans, for the benefit of both parties. As part of the Core Programme, students from Grades 8 to 10, pay bi-monthly visits to the home and fundraise in order to fund mini projects that bring a bit of joy to the children at the home. Past projects include buying school supplies, running crafting sessions, holding parties and movie afternoons at the home.

Interact

The Interact Club strives to reach and help with the needs of the orphanage Simbaredenga, which is located in Waterfalls. Weekly doughnut sales, annual Valentines/Christmas gift deliveries, movie nights and many other events and activities, planned and fulfilled by our members, have allowed us to assist this orphanage since 2012. More recently, we have found that doing so does not enable us to support the Simbaredenga orphans as much as we would like to, and so we are increasing our efforts.

One bright spot is that thanks to the kind permission from our Administration we have been able to continue our support to the Simbaredenga orphans, as the Interact Club will sort, clean, package and then take and donate all the HIS lost and found clothes, water bottles and supplies to better the Simbaredenga orphans’ lives.

Mabvuku Aids Home

The Mabvuku Grade 12 group project is centered on a group of parentless children living in, and attending schools, in Mabvuku and Tafara high density areas. The majority have been orphaned as a result of Aids. Their grannies and grandpas (if still living) have custody of them but no jobs and are therefore unable to support them. The Avondale Anglican Church outreach, with links in the diaspora, provides school fees for them, whilst the seniors of HIS take care of their school uniform and clothing needs and assist by tutoring them math.

The group has run a number of fund raisers in the past including a musical concert at school, an evening of music at a local restaurant, 2 soccer tournaments for the local community, braais, t-shirt and shoe drives and many other smaller projects.

Animal Conservation Club

The Animal Conservation Club is an ES/MS Service club that promotes animal protection and raises awareness about animals and their habitats. Members of this club would like to help animals and their environment by participating in a variety of activities such as fundraisers, bake sales and animal-related products sales.

Students are expected to make an impact and/or educate the HIS community about protecting animals, give good ideas and actively participate in individual and group projects.

Through the participation in this service club, students believe they can become inquirers and more knowledgeable by caring for others.

This club is open to students in grades 4/5 & MS.

Activism Club – Core Activity

This activity is open to grades 6 – 10 as a core activity that develops both creative and service skills. The club is aimed at supporting young people as activists and agents for change. As young people, the ability to challenge systems of thought becomes more and more crucial. This activity seeks to provide students with a framework for activism and a process by which they might be able to create the changes they wish to see in the world. By learning about a range of different kinds of non-violent activism, exploring local and global issues, and examining our own personal motivations for seeking change, the students will become young activists who will undoubtedly be the change we ALL seek in the world.

FAF (Friend Animal Foundation)

The overall goals are: to provide support to FAF financially as well as emotional support of animals.

We are planning fundraising events to support FAF – at the moment we are planning a bake sale, another event will be an afternoon at school with different games.

Once a month, we are driving to FAF and spend an hour with the animals. Students do a range of activities when they are out there – grooming the animals, feeding the animals, cleaning out different areas and walking the dogs.

NHS

Membership in the National Honor Society (NHS) is one of the highest honors that can be awarded to a high school student. The HIS chapter has worked hard to bring the accomplishments of outstanding students to the attention of parents, teachers, peers, and the community. Our chapter strives to give practical meaning to the Society’s standards of scholarship, service, leadership, and character. These four ideals are considered as the basis for selection. No student is inducted simply because of a high academic average. The National Honor Society strives to recognize the all rounded student—one who excels in all of these areas.

Throughout the year, members of our chapter serve as role models for other students. In addition to the strong academic records which established our eligibility for membership, our chapter members are leaders in many student organizations and we serve our school and community through many activities including working with the Chiedza Trust, a commendable and important project working with HIV positive Children. We also volunteer to help with any school-wide events that happen throughout the year.