Why do you think you should be Head Prefect?

I should be Head Prefect because I can ably and convincingly represent the needs of the students before the administration. I not only understand the needs and wants of my peers but can also convince the administration to listen to them. I am up to the responsibility of leading my fellow students by word and example, the duty of sitting in judgment of my fellow students, and the job of bringing the administration and the students closer together. I should be Head Prefect because I know I can fulfill my duties; I believe that I am up to this daunting task, and I hope you believe I am too.

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

I am a member of the Lacrosse team, but I am ready to commit to Prefect Council if and when I am elected. I recognize that being Head Prefect takes precedence over any other commitment, and I am willing to make the sacrifices necessary to the job.

What would you bring to the Honor Board if elected?

I will bring to the Honor board understanding yet firm leadership. People make mistakes; that is only human. It is the recognition and repentance for any mistakes that is key. I understand all too well the pressure at HW; I’ve spent far too many nights working to finish an essay or lab report into the early morning not to realize how tempting it can be to find a similar essay online and use someone else’s ideas. Plagiarism is a serious infraction, and should be punished as such. But, like most other offenses, it is certainly not unforgivable. The real problem is when someone sees his or her mistake but does not see why it is wrong, or commits the same mistake repeatedly. I will do my best to help those brought before the Honor Board see why they are being punished and avoid making the same mistake twice.

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

To understand where the community has been involves knowing not just what the community has been through but how people feel about it. This understanding must not come just from, say, the Prefect’s group of friends, either. A Prefect must have a sense of how all his peers feel about something in order to understand where the community as a whole has been. A Prefect must be able to see how different events affect different people, and then must be able to put all that together to draw a conclusion as to the cumulative effect on everyone. Understanding where the community has been means being able to understand the past: what was different, what was similar, and why someone may have made a decision then that seems strange to us now. But it also includes seeing the big picture; understanding the past is the first part, realizing the effects it has had on the community, the second. To understand where the community has been, one must be a thinker: able to ponder, observe and conclude from his observations what effect the past has had on the community.

If understanding where the community has been requires being a thinker, knowing where the community currently is involves being a talker. The students are the body of the community; the best idea of the current state of things is found with one’s peers, and what better way to discover the state of the community than to ask them? A Prefect must be able to interact with all the students, not just his friends. He must be able to move seamlessly between groups, all the while keeping his finger on the general pulse of the community. Doctors have a saying that goes, “Listen to you patient, for he is giving you the diagnosis.” A Prefect must do the same with his peers’ he must have a wider understanding of the general state of things, but he must also listen to individual compliments, complaints, or suggestions, for, after all, his general understanding is based on these individual statements. To understand where the community currently is, one must be a talker, able to interact easily with all types of people, as well as a thinker.

Knowing where the community needs to be means being a visionary. One must be able to look at something imperfect and see perfection inside it. Understanding where the community needs to be includes having a deep knowledge of the theoretical principals the community was founded on, and also figuring out practical ways of getting it there. One must be able to effectively manage his day-to-day responsibilities, all the while dreaming of something grander. It also requires a great selflessness in that even knowing that you will reap no benefits from your work, you give your best because you will have done your part to make the community perfect for others to enjoy. To know where the community needs to be is to be a thinker, talker, and a dreamer.