TWO students wrote their names into their school’s history book when they were selected as the first ever head girl and head boy of Oldham’s newest secondary school, Oasis Academy Leesbrook.

Katie-May Bowles and Szymon Barszcz, both aged 12, impressed the school’s new senior leadership team during an intensive selection process which saw over 20 students stand for the prestigious positions.

Sarah Livesey, principal, said that Katie-May and Syzmon should be very proud of their achievements.

She said: “At Oasis Academy Leesbrook, we will prepare our students to be the local, national and global leaders of the future.

“As part of this vision it is important that we give our young people not just the opportunity to achieve academically, but also the chance to develop the skills that will help them excel when they go on to make their mark in the world. Learning about leadership is a key part of this, which is why developing our new student leadership team was a big priority for us.

“To give the selection process authenticity and credibility, we put each student through quite a tough interview process to understand why they wanted to be a Leesbrook Leader. Katie-May and Syzmon both shone by sharing with us how they would use the position to support their fellow students.

“I hope they are as proud of themselves as we are of them. Their determination, passion and courage is testament to the calibre of young people who are joining our school’s community.”

Oasis Academy Leesbrook will be part of Oasis Community Learning and will open for Year 7 and 8 students from September, 2018.

Initially students will learn at what is currently Oasis Academy Oldham’s Middleton Road Campus before moving to a brand new state-of-the-art facility, expected to be just off Lees Road, in 2020.

Katie-May added: “I am really happy. I am excited to be part of Oasis Academy Leesbrook and can’t wait to start my role as Head Girl. It is a real honour.”

The names of the head boy and head girl were revealed at a special assembly earlier this week, where they were presented with their badges by Peter Roberts, the chair of Oasis Academy Leesbrook’s Academy Council.

The names of the deputy head boy Subhan Mahmood and girl Ishaa Nadeem and of a wider student leadership team were also announced.

Peter Roberts, who is also the vice principal at Oldham College, said: “It was a privilege to recognise and celebrate the talents of our students.

“These young people will have the exciting task of helping to shape what a brand new school will look like; not only by sharing their ideas with myself and my colleagues, but also by being the role-models to set the standard for how our student community will work and learn together.”