Will Kanders ’19, Aaron Xing ’19, and Carly Casazza ’19 are excited to prefect next fall.
For many Choate students, a reliable prefect can immensely affect their dorm experiences. Because prefects play such a significant role in the daily lives of underformers, prefect selections are always competitive — as was the case this year. In total, there were around 165 prefect applications. Of those, 73 boarding prefects and ten day student prefects were chosen. Many applicants and students wonder what qualities and characteristics influence the prefect decisions.
Ms. Courtney DeStefano, HPRSS teacher, Head of House in Archbold, directs the prefect program. She recently gave insight into this year’s selection process. She explained, “It first starts with the quality of the application in terms of whether it was well thought out and well put together and if it showcases thoughtful qualities. Then we look at the adviser references and whether the adviser supports the applicant’s push to be a prefect. After, we talk to coaches and teachers who know the student to gain a sense of the person’s quality of character. It’s a holistic process.”
She went on, “In terms of individual applicants, we look at students who are trustworthy and will uphold the rules of the school and who will help keep other students safe.” Ms. DeStefano said that prefects must be able to connect to other students regardless of their own experiences and interests.
Ms. DeStefano continued, “We read all the applications and assess all the applications and we try to weigh all the merits. We work with all the deans, with Mr. [Will] Morris [Director of Residential Life] and Mr. [James] Stanley [Dean of Students], to try and work out dorm teams for each dorm. We don’t do as much with the day student applications; we do read them so each application is read at least twice, and our job is to group students we think will work well in teams as prefects together. We also run the Choate Leadership Institute to help train prefects and run training sessions throughout the year, to make sure prefects are doing well.”
One may wonder whether an application accurately reflects the character of an applicant. Ms. DeStefano said, “The application is tough because it’s easy to write one way on an application but it’s hard to determine how a person acts, or the person’s personality. We are considering adding a video process. It’s very difficult to add an interview because of a large number of applicants. I would say the written application alone is not only a good meter for how good or how bad a student may be at this job. We have had students with sloppy applications turn out to be good prefects and vice versa.”
Ms. Ashley Bairos, science teacher and Head of House in Nichols, has additional information on determining prefects. “For every dorm, the heads of the house will hold a meeting with all the advisers of that dorm and rank all the people who have sent in an application. We try to honor the request of the applicant for what dorm they want to prefect in, but it is essentially impossible to allow all applicants to prefect in Nichols if they request it.”
It is a common perception that students who have lived in a specific dorm have priority to prefect there. Ms. Bairos clears up this misconception. “Not necessarily,” she states. “It is mostly based on the rankings of the upcoming prefect and the rankings of the dorms and other heads of houses to determine where the upcoming prefect will live. We try to determine what will make the best team of prefects.”
So who was chosen this year? Wilson Wang ’19, rising prefect for Hill House, shared his goals and fears of being a prefect. “My main goal is to make Hill House a great community for our residents. I want the kids to love Hill House and really experience a welcoming and inclusive community.” He added, “I want people to respect me as a prefect but not fear me, especially since I think I will love everyone next year.”
Similarly, Heather Shao ’19, rising prefect for the Kohler Environmental Center (KEC), also has goals and fears of being a prefect. She said, “Since I am prefecting in a small dorm, I want to make the space as comfortable as possible so that everybody feels supported and included. I am nervous but excited for such an important leadership role. I think prefects in the dorm are vital to establishing the dorm dynamic. I guess it’s also because I want to be the best prefect possible.”
Itai Mupanduki ’19, rising prefect for Tenney House, shared what he is most looking forward to. “What excites me most about being a prefect is having the opportunity to pass on all the knowledge that has helped me succeed, and to prevent more students from making some of the mistakes that I have made here at Choate. I want to ensure that my prefectees are working hard, while also enjoying their time at Choate.”
Wang has similar perspectives as Mupanduki when it comes to what he is looking forward to. “I’m really looking forward to bonding with the kids next year and becoming their friend. At the same time, I want to give them proper guidance and advice to make their Choate career easier,” Wang commented.
Shao has a different approach on what she looks forward to when becoming a prefect. “I want to take the initiative to create fun bonding activities for my prefectees, such as movie nights, mug nights, etc. I am excited to be that role model that underclassmen can look up to.”
