In the 2014 student elections the evolving leadership structure at BHS underwent another change.

There are still two Head Students, the previous roles of the two Deputies and six Pillar Leaders have been consolidated into four Deputy Head Student positions. Megan Bower ’13, a former Head Student herself, sat down with the incoming Head Students to chat to them about the new system and the upcoming year.

This year’s elected Head Students are Aleisha Hollis and Reem Bushara. Both girls are student leadership veterans, who have held multiple positions in prior years. Aleisha and Reem have worked their way up the rungs of the prior leadership structure, and collected experience that they are now eager to use.

Politics is particularly important to Aleisha who is currently on the debate team, Deputy Opposition Leader in Youth Parliament and has plans to become involved in politics in the future.

Reem is hoping to study economics after graduating.

The leadership and drive of these two students is clear in their range of extra-curricular activities. Aleisha is a Candy Striper at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and helps with the BHS autism play group Operation Smile while Reem volunteers with the Bermuda Girl Guiding Association.

In addition to their philanthropy, both girls are also avid sportswomen.

Aleisha has played on the netball, hockey, cross country and softball teams for BHS, as well as participating in hockey with the Ravens, and Reem has opted for netball, tennis, basketball and badminton.

What leadership positions have you held before and how did these influence your decision to run for head student?

Reem: I was Form Leader in year 10 and then became the Deputy Leadership Pillar Leader in year 11. In IB1 I held two positions: Internationalism Pillar Leader and the role of Deputy Head Student. I feel like my positions in previous years were ultimately leading up to running for the position of Head Student.

Aleisha: In the past I have been a Form Leader, Student Society Representative, an Adventure Pillar Representative and I was Deputy Games Captain last year.

Having the opportunity to have the experience of these leadership positions influenced my decision to run for Head Student, as I better understood the demands of the role and what it meant to be a voice of the student body. I love hearing other students’ opinions and their ideas, and that definitely had an influence.

When did you decide you wanted to run for head student and why?

Aleisha: Surprisingly, I made the decision to run for Head Student on the day of the deadline. I always thought about being a Head Student and what I could do for the school, but something was holding me back. However, one of my friends sat me down and really motivated me to put myself forward.

Reem: For me it was a goal that I was always striving towards. When I came to BHS in Year 10 I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of power students are given here. I have always looked up to the Head Students and hoped to one day become the type of role model for younger students that I had always aspired to be.

How will the new structure of student leadership affect your roles?

Reem: The restructuring of the system gives the Head Students the ability to be more connected with the rest of the system.

Our role will now be to mentor the younger students in leadership; from the Form Representatives to the Deputy Head Students. It also gives the younger students a chance to feel empowered in a system where they may normally feel like they do not have the ability to make a difference.

Aleisha: Taking away the IDEALS Pillars enables the student leaders to work together collectively instead of having individual committees.

Why do you feel it is important for BHS to have student leaders and democratic elections?

Aleisha: Being a student leader helps in developing skills that are required later on in life. It builds self-confidence and encourages students to get out of their comfort zones.

Reem: It is definitely a cliché, but it needs to be said that it is so important that the students feel like they have a voice. It is not often that young people have the ability to choose who is in a position of power, so what better place to have this ability than in a place that is dominated by students?

What do you think holds other students back from running for leadership positions?

Reem: Strangely enough I think the idea of a speech scares students the most. Standing up in front of the entire secondary school to give a speech is definitely nerve-racking if you have not experienced it before.

Aleisha: The fear of running for a position and not achieving it can also hold students back, but this shouldn’t be the case as it is an opportunity to reflect and only try harder next time.

How do you deal with the demands that being a Head Student adds to your IB work?

Reem: I find that it is manageable as long as I recognise that the best time to get things done is now; whether that be with homework or leadership work, getting it done, or at least getting started as soon as possible is the key.

Aleisha: I think being well organised, avoiding procrastination and having support from parents, teachers and friends is the best way to meet the demands of the role.

What is your priority for the year ahead?

Reem: I think my priority right now is just finding a way for each and every student to feel like they have a say in what goes on in the school.

With the new leadership structure we are implementing weekly discussions in each form, called “barazas”, about how students would like to see the IDEALS incorporated more into everyday school life.

Aleisha: One thing that I would like to achieve personally is talking to more students and encouraging them to run for leadership positions, so that they can make the most of their experience at BHS and not to limit themselves.

I also hope that we can have more days like Spirit, Creative Arts and Round Square Day, to unite all of the year groups to think more about global issues.