Inaugural Prefect Study Buddies

At Girton, there is an expectation that older students are role models for their younger peers, and this responsibility is especially pronounced for Prefects. To improve the general visibility of Prefects and to take advantage of the positive influence that nominated student representatives have on their peers, we have introduced a system of “Study Buddies” for the first Semester of 2022. 

A Study Buddy is a Prefect selected for their strong academic standing to be a presence in the classroom of younger students. Complimenting the work of Year 10 Peer Support Leaders who provide social support for Year 7 students, the Prefect Study Buddies will support students academically in Years 7 to 9.

The purpose of instating Prefect Study Buddies into academic classrooms is: 

• To provide younger students with a role model for academic success – a tangible example of where academic effort can lead.
   
• To support the academic confidence of younger students by instilling a belief that they, too, can be successful. 
   
• To lend an erudite presence to classes.
   
• To strengthen relationships so that younger students have another place to turn for support of any kind.
   
• To provide Prefects with a clear responsibility that helps them get a better sense of themselves and their influence on younger students. 

The following inaugural Prefect Study Buddies are congratulated and will commence support in select Year 7, 8 and 9 classrooms next week: 

• Astrid Johnston
• Dhruv Gupta
• Aidan Clemens
• Phoebe Radford
• Rena Nichol
• Isaac Willits

Some of the specific duties of Study Buddies will include: 

• checking in with individual students as to whether they need assistance 
   
• observing students and suggesting alternative ways of completing tasks 
   
• demonstrating to the class how they might tackle a particular problem to provide explicit role modelling, and
   
• helping to keep students on-task by inserting themselves as a participant into the activity students are undertaking.

We look forward to hearing more about the Study Buddy initiative during the year.