50p
The Power of the Prefect
It’s 9:27 on a Monday night. The halls of the house are quiet as boarders work to finish their last bit of homework. But there’s a rustle from the last dorm down the hall, and one sneaky devil who’s growing restless at the end of two hours of silent prep tiptoes out of her doorway wrapped in her housecoat, clutching shampoo and conditioner. She makes it past the first dorm without drawing any attention to herself, then the second, and finally the third! She’s a few short steps from the bathroom, with a song of freedom pounding joyfully in her ears. Unfortunately, for her this song has taken over her senses, and the next thing she knows, she’s been pancaked by the prefect on duty, who just tackled her to the floor. Early prep escapee: handled.
Prefects don’t actually go around all day taking out kids who have stepped out of line, but they are pretty big bosses around the campus. Outside of the hallowed halls of the academic buildings, prefects play a large role in the running of the student body, led by school staff and the Student Executive Council, be it in the Dining Hall or in the houses.
In the Dining Hall they supervise each meal and cookie break, and in the houses their job starts before classes, and only ends when the all the lights are out at 11:00. It’s such a demanding job; it’s no wonder that all of the Grade 12s are needed to keep this place in tip top shape. Each house has, at its very core, a legion of prefects who ensure that each room is in tiptop shape, each phone is handed in before prep, and that no Grade 9 wanders the halls past 9:45.
Prefects may come across as looking like lean, mean, mischief-fighting machines, but really they are here to look out for their housemates. Who better understands a kid than a slightly older kid? Prefects are the shoulder to cry on when things get rough, the dating counselor when opportunities arise, and the experts on all things Brentwood. Remember, until a few short months ago, we were in your shoes, running around the campus like madmen and forgetting to sign in at dinner. Now we’ve had to grow up and take care of you monkeys, but don’t feel bad: we do it out of love.
Your moment as a prefect will come, as it has for each generation of Brentonians, and a few years from now you may find yourself thinking back to those older kids who scared you into your own rooms and pulled the seniority card to get the common room, but who also always went out of their way to proofread each essay for you. Prefects will become inspirational people in your life, as you watch the way they manage to handle life at Brentwood and still have time to supervise over prep.
You can love them, you can fear them, or set up booby traps for them, but at the end of the day, they’re the ones that dole out the extra house jobs and pushups, so watch out! The prefects are in the house.
Sarah M
Prefects don’t actually go around all day taking out kids who have stepped out of line, but they are pretty big bosses around the campus. Outside of the hallowed halls of the academic buildings, prefects play a large role in the running of the student body, led by school staff and the Student Executive Council, be it in the Dining Hall or in the houses.
In the Dining Hall they supervise each meal and cookie break, and in the houses their job starts before classes, and only ends when the all the lights are out at 11:00. It’s such a demanding job; it’s no wonder that all of the Grade 12s are needed to keep this place in tip top shape. Each house has, at its very core, a legion of prefects who ensure that each room is in tiptop shape, each phone is handed in before prep, and that no Grade 9 wanders the halls past 9:45.
Prefects may come across as looking like lean, mean, mischief-fighting machines, but really they are here to look out for their housemates. Who better understands a kid than a slightly older kid? Prefects are the shoulder to cry on when things get rough, the dating counselor when opportunities arise, and the experts on all things Brentwood. Remember, until a few short months ago, we were in your shoes, running around the campus like madmen and forgetting to sign in at dinner. Now we’ve had to grow up and take care of you monkeys, but don’t feel bad: we do it out of love.
Your moment as a prefect will come, as it has for each generation of Brentonians, and a few years from now you may find yourself thinking back to those older kids who scared you into your own rooms and pulled the seniority card to get the common room, but who also always went out of their way to proofread each essay for you. Prefects will become inspirational people in your life, as you watch the way they manage to handle life at Brentwood and still have time to supervise over prep.
You can love them, you can fear them, or set up booby traps for them, but at the end of the day, they’re the ones that dole out the extra house jobs and pushups, so watch out! The prefects are in the house.
Sarah M
75p
