Jenny Porter

Why do you think you should be Head Prefect?

I am running for Head Prefect because honestly I love this school. I feel that Harvard-Westlake has given me so many amazing opportunities and I really want to give back. I am on the Prefect Council this year and have received additional leadership training because I was Co-Chair of Semi Formal. From my experience this year I have learned the system and now am confident in my abilities to help guide proposals to completion, to interact with important faculty members, and to represent my classsmates and their points of view in discussions. I  also consider myself to be a fair minded and compassionate person when called upon to review Honor Board cases.

Why should we have an Honor Code?

Harvard-Westlake is known for its outstanding academics, its professional quality theatre, and its award winning athletics. I think that we should also be known for our impeccable honor and integrity. To me the Honor Code is important because it shows the trust between students and teachers and students with each other. I like being part of a community where there are standards with each other. I like knowing that everyone has signed the Honor Code and has pledged to be an honorable person in all aspects of their life. Lastly I believe we should have an Honor Code because we are not perfect and everyone has to continue striving to be our best, but if we do fall down we want to be held accountable by someone who can relate to our circumstance.

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

The only extracurricular activity I currently participate in is Track and Field, and I am fully prepared to commit myself to Prefect Council. Although I enjoy Track, my commitment to Prefect Council will always come first.

To be a good Prefect, one needs to be able to “understand where the community has been, where the community currently is, and ultimately where the community needs to be.” Please take the time to reflect on each individual aspect.

I think that everyone would acknowledge we have had a couple of very rough years. Our community has experienced certain hardships and really hasn’t been what I know it can be. Currently our community is at a turning point. I think that now we have a choice, we can either continue on going how we have been or we can take this as a wakeup call and realize that this is an opportunity for change and a chance for us to make some major improvements. I ultimately want to be in a community where everyone is involved and feels attached to this school in some way. Prefect Council has been working very hard this year to better our community and has made some major progress, but we are not done yet. One proposal I am working on this year is to plan a drive-in movie. If my proposal is approved I plan to have the event in the senior parking lot. Admission for the movie will be free. This will give our community a chance to come together and hopefully we can have more events like it in the future. I really believe in this proposal and feel that if we come together as a community, whether it be at a movie or just another 40 minute break, that everyone will become more attached to Harvard-Westlake and in turn it will make a  much more inclusive and healthy community.