By ANTONIA MADDAN, Senior Prefect

I didn’t consider applying to be a Senior Prefect until year 12, when after having multiple leadership roles and responsibilities in earlier years my confidence grew and I realised I was a useful team member, despite not being classically organised or ‘on top of everything’.   I wanted to be a Senior Prefect as I wanted to show that you don’t have to be perfect to be in a position of leadership, you just have to be willing and consistent to try your best to achieve your aims and be able to listen to others and adjust to their feelings and opinions. 

Getting involved 

Working as a Senior Prefect has mainly helped me to gain confidence in myself and view myself as a useful member of a team. This role has helped me to see that while I may not be the most organised person, I have many useful qualities that help me make a unique difference in group projects, such as creative thinking and enthusiasm.  This has served me well while organising the duties of Prefects in year 12 & 13, and representing the school at events such as parents evenings and open days. 

An opportunity to leave a legacy

As each Senior Prefect develops, there is increasing freedom to work on projects that we are personally interested in, with different members of the team focusing on different things, such as the wellbeing of the school or the environment. 

I have been involved in organising school wellbeing efforts such as wellbeing assemblies and talking about wellbeing in school at events such as open days. I have also worked with and supported peers,  Environmental Senior Prefects and other members of year 13, to establish our schools eco-committee, which is aiming to lessen the environmental impact of our school.  We have begun working on our school accreditation as an ‘eco-school’. 

Younger students – get involved 

I think the most important thing younger students can do to improve their leadership and teamwork skills is to try to have more confidence in themselves and realise that while they may not be able to do certain things other people can do, everyone has unique abilities and strengths that are useful in a team. Whether you become a senior prefect or not, you will be an invaluable member of any team if you can learn to be proud of your unique strengths, accepting of your areas of weakness, and be confident that everyone’s voice matters.