Leading the way Getting to know our 2023 Student Leadership Team

Each year, our student leadership team redefine ‘By Love Serve’, and our 2023 Prefects are certainly no exception. These girls set the standard, going above and beyond each day to ensure that St Cuthbert’s is a safe, happy, and inclusive environment for their peers.

Following a successful Prefects’ Luncheon with other local schools, we sat down with the current team, to find out a bit more about what being a Prefect means to them. For Iona House Prefect, Ella Alfaro Campbell, it means ‘most of all, being someone who is willing to put in work and go the extra mile, to make sure every girl feels heard and included’. Similarly, for Grace McCarthy, it means ‘upholding the school’s values and looking after my fellow students and keeping the school spirit alive’. Head Girl, Grace Merrilees surmises that for her, being a Prefect means ‘leading by example whilst serving others’.

Following a disruptive start to their tenures due to the weather events, the girls wasted no time jump starting the year. Melrose House Prefect, Charlotte Greenwood said that the start of the school year had indeed challenged her ‘to be adaptable as a Leader’, but as busy as it may all feel, her time spent as a Prefect had been filled with so many memorable events already’.

For many students, the desire to become a Prefect starts very early on, with many girls referencing admiration for Prefects from the past as their driving force. On what inspired them to become Prefects, Elizabeth

Hardiman shared ‘I have been at St Cuth’s since Year 1, and have always looked up to the Prefects’. Likewise, Head Girl Grace Merrilees noted that, ‘I know I looked up to past Prefects, so I wanted to be someone that others feel inspired by too’.

So, what does a day in the life of a St Cuthbert’s Prefect look like? For Deputy Head Girl, Irina Wong it starts with gate duty ‘where we say hi to everyone coming into the College, which is a lovely way to start the day’. Then, the girls will attend any meetings, carry out bathroom checks and plan events such as the Prefect Dance and the Prefect vs Staff relay. For Head Boarder Maya Stapleton, duties span a little further and include attending Boarding Breakfast, amongst other Boarding specific responsibilities.

Maya has one goal as Head Boarder, and that is to ‘encourage service to be a part of daily life’ at St Cuthbert’s, ‘especially for the Boarders’. For Prefect Rose Aleksich, her goal during her time in the role is to ‘be able to look back on this last year and know I was able to, in some way, make things a little easier for someone’.

Together, our 2023 cohort of student leaders are certainly doing a stellar job, setting a sterling example to those who will follow in their footsteps. So, what advice do they have for younger students who wish to add Prefect to their resume one day? For Grace McCarthy, Grace Merrilees and Charlotte Greenwood their advice is to simply ‘be yourself’. The role of Prefect requires balance and dedication, so York House Prefect, Alisa Rao, encourages those hoping to take on the role to ‘really try to be organized and make sure that you are capable of displaying your unique leadership capabilities’.

Being a Prefect is a hugely rewarding role, and when asked what the best thing about being a Prefect was, the responses were varied and plentiful. For House Prefect of Kelso, Felicia Qin, some of the highlights include ‘getting closer with our team, who may come from different friend groups’, whilst for Head Boarder, Maya Stapleton, it’s all about having ‘the opportunity to create change and be the voice of change’ and ‘having a platform to share ideas’.

Finally, we wanted to know what celebrity our girls think would make the perfect addition to the St Cuthbert’s student leadership team, and we certainly wouldn’t mind if some of their nominees were to contact the Admissions team! Isabelle Stewart would like to see actress Michelle Yeoh join the Prefect team, whilst Imogen Weenink thinks that Taylor Swift is the perfect example of ‘By Love Serve’, and would ‘sing during gate duties’, which we know would go down a treat!

Jane Goodall would be Rose Aleksich’, Prefect pick, noting that ‘she always fought for what she believed in, and continues to be an active voice for women in conservation’. Other Prefects would love to see the likes of Emma Watson and Zendaya on campus. However, we think that our current student leadership team are carrying out their duties so well, that there is no need to call in any A-listers!

Head Girl

Deputy Head Girl

Deputy Head Girl

Deputy Head Girl

Head Boarder

House Prefect Dunblane

House Prefect Durham

House Prefect Elgin

House Prefect Iona

House Prefect Kelso

House Prefect Lindisfarne

House Prefect Melrose

House Prefect York

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Grace Merrilees

Natalie Lamb

Grace McCarthy

Irina Wong

Maya Stapleton

Imogen Weenink

Hana Ehsankya

Tiama Bennett

Ella Alfaro Campbell

Felicia Qin

Fiona Chen

Charlotte Greenwood

Alisa Rao

Rose Aleksich

Olivia Greenwood

Rebekah Hall

Elizabeth Hardiman

Katie Lawgun

Isla McCarthy

Isabelle Stewart

Maataua Tanielu-Seve

Gloryah-Grace Ualesi

Emily Whineray

Dian Kun Yin