What makes a good leader? Integrity, compassion, fairness and more

In the school auditorium decorated with hues of red, yellow, green and golden, Apeejay School International – South Delhi recently celebrated the first Investiture ceremony for its Prefectorial Board. Members of the student council stood tall as they represented their school houses and welcomed the guests with cheerful smiles.

Parents, students, teaching and administrative staff of the school were present to witness the occasion. The newly appointed student leaders comprised the Head Girl, Head Boy, Sports Captain, House Captains, House Prefects and the Council.

Students Nakul Logani from Diploma Programme – II and Vedha Jangir from Diploma Programme – I were appointed the Head Boy and the Head Girl, respectively, for the academic year 2022-23.

Diploma Programme –I student, Atharv Rao was made the Sports Captain and Aditya Kumar of Diploma Programme -II was appointed the President of the Student’s Council. Students Tejas Kapil, Molvika Khanna, Reha Aggarwal and Ananya Gupta were sworn-in as the House Captains for Earth, Air, Water and Fire school houses.

In the solemn ceremony, the student body pledged to devote service and allegiance to the school. Mr .Purushottam Dutt Vashist, Principal of the school, administered the oath.

After the oath-taking ceremony, he addressed the gathering and spoke about the qualities that define a true leader such as the values of integrity, compassion, honour and justice. Further, he emphasised on the significance of performing one’s duties with absolute honesty and diligence.

Shortly, students Nakul and Vedha shared their thoughts with the gathering. “I am honoured to be selected for the role of the school’s Head Boy. In the academic session, my focus will be to build a pool of different extra-curricular activities in the school. And, I am very excited to start this new journey with other members of the student council,” said Nakul. Sharing the same sentiment, Vedha said, “I felt like my hard work has been validated when I got selected as the Head Girl. It is a position of great responsibility.”

Basking in the dignity of their new office, the two student leaders recalled the school’s motto ‘Soaring High is my Nature’ and promised to lead the school to even greater heights of excellence across fields.

The newly elected President of the council, Aditya said, “I am elated to be part of the student body and eagerly looking forward to my role. I am keen on starting student-led clubs in our school through which we can collaborate and contribute towards our society. This will also help my fellow classmates stand out during their college applications.”  

The ceremony concluded with the national anthem followed by tea and refreshments for the guests.

“Congratulations and celebrations, this was our first ever Investiture Ceremony!! My advice to the young leaders today is to stand up and make the most of the opportunities they have got as well as consciously cultivate their emotional intelligence skills to become the best version of themselves. Take up larger responsibilities in life and make all of us proud.”

-MR. PURSHOTTAM DUTT VASHIST, PRINCIPAL, APEEJAY SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL, SOUTH DELHI