Melissa Van Dyk

Melissa Van Dyk is the Program Coordinator for Years 7 and 8 at Rossmoyne Senior High School, where she leads student wellbeing, transition and engagement initiatives for over 1000 students. Drawing on her work across student voice, wellbeing, capabilities development and school culture, she is driven by the belief that success is built not only on academic achievement, but also on developing the personal, social and emotional capabilities young people need to thrive in an increasingly complex world. Turning student voice into student leadership 'Be True To Yourself' is Rossmoyne's Tier 1 socioemotional learning program designed to help students learn how to co-regulate in Year 7 and self-regulate in Year 8. Our goal is simple: if how students live every day becomes how they live their life, we want that to align with who they want to be. She developed the program in 2024 in response to what we were seeing in our students and within our pastoral care support systems. At the same time, both the health and education sectors were calling for more universal mental health support and earlier intervention before students required intensive assistance. The challenge wasn't designing a wellbeing program. The challenge was creating a whole-school approach that students would genuinely own. So she started with student voice. Every Year 6 student entering Rossmoyne tells us their biggest concerns about high school, the emotions they are experiencing, and the values that matter most to them. Those responses shape the scope and sequence. Rather than asking students to fit into an adult-designed program, Melissa built the program around their reality. What emerged was much more than a wellbeing curriculum. 

Students lead every assembly. Student Councilors present the learning, choose the music, and design activities and quizzes that resonate with their peers. More than 100 Peer Mentors then facilitate small group discussions and practical experiences. No adults are on the microphone. The result is that students are not just participating in wellbeing, they are leading it. One of the most important lessons we've learned is that lasting change cannot depend on one passionate teacher. We have intentionally built leadership capacity across students, staff, parents and the wider school community. Each year, hundreds of students are trained as leaders, mentors and role models, creating a shared language and culture around wellbeing. We've also deliberately brought parents into the conversation. After every session, families receive practical information and conversation starters so the learning continues at home. We want students to experience a connected support network rather than separate worlds of school and family. What she most proud of isn't the program itself. It's seeing young people trusted with real responsibility and becoming active contributors to a culture where wellbeing is everyone's responsibility. The biggest takeaway for Melissa has been this, If you want lasting change, don't build a program for students. Build it with them, then give them the confidence and responsibility to lead it.