At St. George’s, one of the unwritten core values that students strive to personify every day is leadership. Leadership is often universally defined as the ability to influence and guide others, provide them with someone to look up to and most importantly, urge them to become leaders themselves. In the Saints community, this definition is shaped to incorporate the school’s core values and applied to all aspects of student life, from the classroom to the playing field. For many students, the most significant way to exemplify leadership, direct the student body and leave a meaningful impact on the school is to become a prefect: a student who is the embodiment of all that Saints stands for.

On March 9 2015, the election for next year’s prefects was held in the Upper Great Hall during lunch. Students from Grades 10, 11 and 12 had the chance to vote for up to three Grade 11 candidates who they wanted to see attain a prefect position for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. Prior to the election, students also had the opportunity to watch each candidate’s application video, a 30 second video outlining the candidate’s intentions for running and goals if elected. Furthermore, candidates were asked to write a short position and include a picture of themselves; these components of the application were then compiled and posted on a board in the Upper Great Hall for viewing throughout the month.

With so many Grade 11s hoping to acquire a prefect position, the reasons for which they want to become prefects greatly vary. Some students want to give back to the community that has given so much to them, while some want to have the opportunity and power to implement their own ideas while collaborating with others. Below are some thoughts from a few Grade 11 students who have their own particular reasons for running for a prefect position.

“St. George’s is an incredibly diverse school; however, it can also be disjointed at times. Art is viewed as something only a certain type of person can do with a degree of success. I want to be the Arts and Culture Prefect in order to make art open and accessible to all students at St. George’s.” –Irving Tian, Grade 11

“I’ve always looked up to the prefects of the previous years, and it has always been my goal to recreate that experience for the grades below me.” –Andrew Tsai, Grade 11

“The idea of running for student leadership in grade 12 was driven by my desire to create lasting memories for my final year at Saints. As a prefect, I will be able to ensure that my voice will be heard and that I will be able to create a community that will thrive in the most crucial times of 2016” –Ty Zhang, Grade 11

“It is my hope that being elected prefect will give me a greater capacity to serve the student body. I love Saints and I am prepared to make it a better place than I found it.” -David Yang, Grade 11

As can be expected, being a prefect is no easy task. It requires unwavering commitment to making the Saints community better and better, countless hours of hard work and a genuine love for the school, students, faculty and staff. Only with all of these attributes can an individual take on the enormous task of leading the school through an entire school year. The results of the election, to be announced after spring break, will communicate to everyone the students who have proved themselves capable of undertaking this duty.

Be sure to check The Creed after spring break to find out who your 2015-2016 prefects will be!