Jake Schine

Why do you think you should be Head Prefect?

I should be Head Prefect because I have served the student body of Harvard-Westlake faithfully and dutifully over my previous two terms as Sophomore and Junior Prefect. I have conducted myself honesty, honor, and integrity and have proven my worth in service to the Harvard-Westlake community. I have never stopped working to accomplish the goals of the Student Body and I will not stop no matter the outcome of the election, but as Head Prefect I can better utilize my talents to further my work on your behalf.

What extracurricular activities do you currently participate in and are you prepared to fully commit to Prefect Council?

I am currently a member of the Varsity Water Polo and Swim teams, I am a Peer Support Trainee, and as stated previously I am a member of the Prefect Council.

What would you bring the Honor Board if elected?

If elected, I would bring the same hard work and commitment that I have provided for the last 2 years of my service. In addition, one thing that I noticed during my terms was that the Prefect Council does not take as strong a stand on some issues as I believe is necessary. It is not always easy or convenient to stand up for something that I believe is right, but it is necessary and I will commit to do so. I will do my utmost to ensure that the integrity of the Honor Board remains intact.

What extracurricular activities do you currently participate in and are you prepared to fully commit to Prefect Council?

I happen to agree with the above statement. Since fostering a community is one of the major responsibilities of a Head Prefect, one most thoroughly understand the listed concepts before one can effectively lead the Student Body. This year, the community has made great improvements as a school and has made leaps and bounds in its unity. Where we used to have trouble finding and an identity as a school, we now have success. With the achievement of a school-wide break, we have found time to spend together as a school community. While this is successful in giving clubs more time to meet and gives the exceptionally hard-working students of Harvard-Westlake a short time to rest, it is the opinion of this student that it can still be used for better purposes. As Head Prefect, I will work with students (elected and unelected) to work on projects and plan activities to further advance and develop the break to foster a sense of community. Following this strategy’s success with semiformal this year, I plan on implementing this plan in most of the Prefect Council’s activities. Student empowerment is a very important aspect of developing a community, and as Head Prefect, I will stop at no end to make sure that it becomes a reality. I envision the future of the community to be one of complete autocracy and student initiative. Students must have a stake in their community to take care of it and maintain it sufficiently. Giving students a larger and more powerful role in controlling the school’s activities would be the ideal means to that end.