Life at SMLS

Leadership & Community Service

Everything we do at SMLS, in the classroom and out of it, centers around building our students’ leadership-learning.

Leadership Opportunities At Every Level

SMLS inspires girls and empowers women by offering leadership opportunities at every level, starting as early as Grade 1 and carrying on all the way through Grade 12. Whether they’re an introvert or an extravert, whether they have many interests or just one passion - whether they’re an athlete, an artist, an academic or still working on finding themselves - every student has an opportunity to lead.

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Leadership Roles throughout the School

There are numerous formal and informal leadership opportunities for girls in Junior, Middle and Senior School.

Beginning in the Junior School, every Grade 5 Millie has the opportunity to serve the Junior School as a House Representative for a full term. Students participate in organizing events, leading activities and representing their House as a leader and mentor for the younger girls.

Middle School girls have the opportunity to participate in House Council, contributing their voice and leadership to the activities of the Middle School. Middle School House Council meets weekly throughout the year and several Middle School committees are formed to organize student-led initiatives.

Every student in Senior School has the opportunity to hold a leadership position and assist in running an event through the Athletics Council, Arts Council, STEM Council and House Council.
In their final year, students can apply to become a Prefect. This group of Millies is responsible for a multitude of duties: they organize activities and events, assist in chapel, and serve as role models for our girls. The Prefects wear burgundy blazers to signify their position. The leader, and ultimately the leader of the student body is the Head Prefect.
Built-in Role Models and Mentorship

A unique feature of SMLS is that all of our students (from Junior Kindergarten through to Grade 12) are all housed in one building. This creates natural opportunities for the older students to be role models and mentors and helps inspire leadership aspirations among the younger students.

SMLS also nurtures a very positive “Big Sister/Little Sister” program, where older students and younger students connect at special times throughout the years, developing ongoing relationships.
Community Service

Millies participate in community service throughout their years, and giving back to our local and global communities is an important hallmark of an SMLS education.

Some of the community service activities led by our Junior School students include organizaing various drives to collect supplies for various organizations, neighbourhood clean-ups, and sending notes to Canadian veterans through the Postcards for Peace program. Students also, annually, participate in a Terry Fox Run/Walk event as a community.

In the Middle School, each student is expected to earn volunteer hours as part of SMLS’s Junior Duke Program, which is unique to SMLS and modeled as a program that will prepare our girls for the Duke of Edinburgh Program in Senior School. Recent activities have included holiday cards for Meals on Wheels, service drives in support of the Kerr Street Mission, Earth Day clean-ups, Breast Cancer Awareness walk-a-thons, and more.

Senior School students collect donations for various charities, hold special events (such as an annual run/walk for Campfire Circle), and have dedicated councils and clubs with the purpose of giving back to our communities. Senior School students also take on global service learning, and have participated with communities and organizations in countries around the world.