The News has sat down with Shepparton’s high school leadership cohort to hear from the young future leaders in our region. This week, we spoke to Shepparton Christian College’s school captains.
The 2023 Christian College school captains are Michaela Moore and Gerhardus Christiaan Buys.
Gerhardus Christiaan Buys
Gerhardus has a passion for music, enjoying it both in and out of school.
“Music is a big part of my life, it’s always run in the family, with piano especially, and I wanted to develop that further so I’m doing VCE music composition,” he said.
He also has a strong belief in his faith, going to multiple churches.
“Church community is a big part of my life, I go to multiple but Exchange Church is the main one I belong to,” he said.
After graduating, Gerhardus hopes to study medicine while continuing to do music theory.
When it came time to put his name up for school captain, Gerhardus had a quote in mind to keep him motivated.
“I kept thinking about the quote, ‘be the change you want to see in the world’,” he said.
“Also, it strengthens your leadership characteristics and I hope to carry those skills with me even after school.”
During his time as captain, Gerhardus hopes to build on the feeling of unity within the school.
“My aim is strengthening the strength of community,” he said.
“We have put an emphasis on school events.”
Michaela Moore
Michaela has a passion for sport, but has had to take a back seat due to an injury.
“I play netball, but I’m currently recovering from [a torn] ACL,” she said.
However that has not stopped her from being involved.
“I’m currently coaching the under-17 netball,” she said.
“It’s really good for building connections.”
She leans more into the academic side of school, enjoying both maths and science.
Next year she hopes to combine her two passions and study physiotherapy.
“I want to study physiotherapy, and then later go into paediatrics — I love kids,” she said.
She put her name down to be captain to strengthen both the school and herself.
“I wanted to help lead kids and build a sense of community, but I also wanted to build my public-speaking skills,” she said.
This year, Michaela wants to bridge the gap between year levels and lead student involvement.
“I just really want to see more student involvement and less separation between years,” she said.