Investiture Ceremony

Today is a very important day for all of us at BIS. We shall be formally taking into office our new office bearers, those who are elected / Chosen to be a Class Representative, Captain, Office Bearer, Head boy / girl. This is a unique school, since all the office bearers have been voted into their positions, except for the Head Boy and Head Girl.

We are also at the threshold of change, and for the very first time, we shall also be having Office Bearers from the IB Section. We are indeed proud to have our Std. XI participate in this ceremony.

Let us pause a moment and look at what the future year will hold for you. We have had several speeches this year, in which many of our candidates referred to their dreams and hence made many promises. Our Student Government and the houses will be dependent on the rest of the school to try and carry out their dreams.

Hence each one of us will be looking up to the persons who are chosen to be our leaders for inspiration and guidance. Who is a good leader? Is it the position or is it is about the kind of person? Or a bit of both? The most important aspect about being a leader is to have integrity- this means that you do whatever you ask others to do. I think there are non-obvious ways to lead. Just by providing a good example as a student, a member of the BIS community, a friend, makes it possible for other people to see better ways to do things. Leadership does not need to be dramatic, that is now done and over with once elections are over. Now is the time to listen to those whom you are leading. A sense of duty and responsibility is vital, and to persist you will need the ability to support and to build a rapport with others.

“Like polishing a diamond, there are many facets that go into the making of a leader, and each one is important,” There are plenty of skills you will require. Let me touch upon a few, which I have found useful and vital for myself as a leader. For one, presentation skills are vital. How you appear, and how you talk and communicate with others at all times. Being organized is of critical importance. You will need to be a good planner, and build teams among your houses and fellow students. As part of the Student Government, you will work well, if you all are a cohesive group, and this year, we need to consider the role of the IB students as well. There shall be many challenges ahead, but do remember that each of these challenges will bring out the best in you and help you evolve as a person as well. Listening to others, and learning to bring out the best in your classmates are also critical aspects of a good leader.

John Maxwell has said, “A leader is one who knows the way, who goes the way and shows the way.”

However:

Leadership also comes with a lot of hard work – it is great to put in the hard work, if it comes with the results you desire. In other words, it is easy to work hard if you are on a winning streak. The challenge of being a good leader is to keep calm even when things are not going well. You have an emotional and a moral responsibility to your team members to keep their spirits up, and ensure that they keep trying.

This shall be a learning experience for each one of you, and I can only hope that the next year will strengthen each and every person’s leadership skills. John Quincy Adams has said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”.

In the coming year, each one of you will grow in leadership capabilities with the proper instruction and practice. We need strong and courageous students who can lead with integrity. I am sure we shall see the polish of the brilliant diamonds that will be our Student Government of 2012.

With these few words, let me say that I have tremendous faith in each one of you as our leaders for the next academic year. I wish you all the very best!

Mona Seervai 1st March 2012

Principal