Being a Head Prefect or Head Girl (sharing EB's experience)

[Ming]

You sound like a different person, Fiona!

Prefects in our school have almost as much power as William and Rita did. In eleventh grade (for me, now) at a certain time late in the academic year students have to apply to become prefects. It involves something like a CV, I think, and several interviews. In the end around 15-20 are made prefects. Every single prefect is assigned to a club (we have several ECAs and the after school club culture is very strong) that they have played a major role in over the past few years, and the prefect has sole responsibility, with some assistance from overseeing teachers, to run it successfully and organise intra and inter school events.

From that select pool those wishing to be head prefects re apply and a few are chosen as head candidates. There is campaigning for a few days, on the morning of the election day there are speeches, the entire school votes and towards the end the head boy and head girl are announced. They are responsible for heading student council meetings, serve as the gateway between we lesser mortals and the authority, and are generally there to lend a shoulder to cry on.

The rest of the candidates automatically become prefects. I don't want to be head girl! I'd rather just be a prefect and not even apply to be a candidate, as midway through the campaigns it always becomes apparent that the 'prettiest and most popular girl' and the 'football boy' will win.

Back in seventh grade when I witnessed my first elections I was in awe of the head prefects but gradually as I grew up and the heads became closer to my age I lost the respect I had for them, especially as in my opinion several very worthy people were voted out because they weren't 'good enough'.

[tkurbjuhn]

There seems to be a huge cultural gap between the german and british school system. As far as I remember, there is no prefect with some power over other pupils in the german school system, there is only the " Klassensprecher" whose role is to speak up for interests of the pupils.

[chloe1]

I wasnt a prefect but I was expelled Not for anything malicious or nasty - I was just a bit of a rebel. Miss Greyling would have kept me on and got Sally to take me under her wing if I had gone to MT.

One of my best friends was deputy head girl. She was one of those really naughty pupils who somehow got away with murder while the teachers thought she was an angel. She would spend break time swigging from a bottle of vodka and snogging a boy behind the bike sheds and then go and do some head girl duty looking like butter wouldnt melt.

[Lenoir]

Yes, Miss Grayling would have done the right thing.

I had no position of authority whatsoever at school.