Prefect Updates

A Word from the The Ridgeway Campus Prefects 

Chiara Scuderi, Athelstane House Prefect

For me, being the house prefect involves a specific role of bringing people together to all aim for the same thing which is to have fun and try to win. Being away from each other made it harder to come together and continue on with the house spirit. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to compete in the house athletics, a big event for the house competition. However, on a brighter note, we were able to partake in Strava activities as well as creative activities such as music and arts! This has encouraged students to stay involved and keep up the house culture as best as possible! Moving forward I hope that we can increase the house involvement and lift competitiveness through alternative activities!!

Tristan Bell, School Captain

During this time the main focus of my role has been the student morale and finding ways to keep the School community engaged with school activity and ensuring the community stays together in a very isolated time. It’s been a difficult period for everyone and I’m sure many will be glad when things return to normal but for now, the quarantine creations have been a good way to stay in touch with those we’re used to seeing around the halls, so it’s been great to see some of the ways people have been keeping themselves entertained. Although school has been very different it’s going to be great to return to some normality and see everyone’s faces again.

Izzy Mohtaji, Wider School Community Prefect

During quarantine, it’s certainly been hard to move forward with a lot of Wider School Community projects, such as our alumni collaboration project. However, we have been able to establish meetings with our Year 7 and 8 SRC, so in some respects, we have made some progress within our portfolio.

Gemma Starkey, Wellbeing Prefect

I think being a prefect has been really interesting in this time as it pushed us all creatively to think up ways we could continue our initiatives or make the hard decision to accept that they wouldn’t be possible. Working out a sufficient time to dedicate to our portfolios over this time was also quite hard. The well-being position and initiatives Mia and I had planned were very dependent on being at school so working out which to scrap and which to delay or modify was a challenge.

Samantha Pannell, International and New Students Prefect

At the start of the year, my portfolio team and I, as well as the whole prefect team were set on achieving certain goals. Obviously, being in quarantine threw a spanner into the works of that! Many projects were put on hold or had to be approached in another manner. Nonetheless, adapting to change is something that I believe everyone has had to exercise and it is a test of how well we could work, even when thrown a curveball. As International and New students prefects, we maintained contact with our supervising teacher (Ms Bruhn) and attended ELICOS pastoral meetings to remain active in our role. Being back at school sets us back on track to fulfilling our projects!

Madeline Gallagher, Sports Prefect

Being a sports prefect during this time has been difficult as my role relies heavily on everyone being at school, being involved in sporting activities, and working closely with the Ivy Army. However, I found that during isolation, rather than just focusing on my role I tried to help other prefect roles such as house prefects and Strava as well as keeping the Ivanhoe Senior Years community connected with each other. Therefore, I have found that even if your role as a prefect during this time may not be as doable as it usually is, it is important that you help other prefect initiatives and keep the School connected.

Pranav Chilamkurti, Global Engagement Prefect

Being a global engagement prefect during quarantine undoubtedly came with its challenges, but this didn’t inhibit our team global engagement portfolio from organising various initiatives and events to engage and connect with students during the unprecedented times. What was important was to make the best of the situation we were in and be creative in finding innovative solutions to fulfil our portfolio goals. Initiatives such as our first virtual global forum and our collaboration with the charities portfolio to create a virtual trivia competition are some examples of this.

Justin Cementon, Thoresby Prefect

In light of the ‘Rona pandemic and the cancellation of House events like the Aths carnival, many of the traditional competitions that had been planned were replaced by unconventional ones. In an effort to maintain some sense of House commitment and connection, Heidi and I have taken to encouraging our house through social media to get involved. Although it hasn’t quite been the year I was expecting, my outlook in trying to get as many people involved and participating in house activities has not changed.

Leadership Online - An Interview

By Frank Bevacqua and James Li, Plenty Campus, Year 11 ft. Ethan Clare

Leadership is not something that is only possible in person, it is a state of mind and set of actions that can be achieved anywhere, even online. Leadership online is possible, although it is quite different. After discussing this topic with the one and only Ethan Clare, Plenty Campus School Captain, there were a few key points that he made and we shall be discussing these in this article. 

What is leadership? 

Leadership is defined as the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal… but it is so much more than this. We believe, as does Ethan, that it is about setting an example for others, putting in the hard yards, "staying true to yourself" and your school, "being there for anyone that needs you," doing your best and being consistent, really just being someone that can be relied upon. 

How do you apply this in an online setting? 

To quote Ethan, being a leader online "isn’t about just being vocal, it’s about holding yourself to the same standards as you hold yourself to in person." For those of you who don’t hold yourself to a high standard in person, we encourage you to take this opportunity online to step up. You may surprise yourself, your peers and your teachers with the qualities and values you can demonstrate.

Now that school is returning for all year levels, what should you begin/be doing to improve yourself as a leader and come out of your shell? 

Ethan recommends involvement in a variety of aspects of the School, to interconnect and understand the School as a whole. Particularly however, he recommends the cadet program, as SCUO at Plenty, suggesting that it brings individuals who aren’t as confident out of their shells. We can attest to this. Coming out of your shell doesn't just mean being vocal, it means participating in a range of ways.

What should you be doing in classes to be a good student and leader? 

Simply "don’t be a twit". 

What does this entail? 

To not be "a twit" we recommend good, appropriate levels of communication with teachers to improve your learning and ensure the best learning for yourself. Not "be[ing] a twit" ensures that your teacher can better teach you and your peers in the classroom and online environment. It really is about respecting your teachers and peers and not simply doing whatever you want. 

We welcome anyone at Ivanhoe Grammar School to get involved in as much as they can. Becoming a leader isn’t just a switch. It is about taking consistent steps to put in the hard yards over time. We know that everyone reading this is capable of just that. Try out for the musical, put your best foot forward in cadets, join a music ensemble and start building those positive relationships. You can all be leaders everyday whatever the situation is.