An Interview with the Lower 6 Prefects

By Raaid

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Over the last week, in the wake of the induction of the new prefects’ guild, I decided to attempt to interview the prefects, to learn more about them, how they work and their feelings on the job they have . Also I was planning to have way more description, but ultimately all the text in here, mostly the interviews amount to about 4750 words, and that is a (Insert Christian Bale sounds) large amount of words. I also split the article into two.

(By the way, any talk or mention of a prefects’ cult is purely nonsense, such as the claims that the circle meetings in the quadrangle are involved with black magic, or that the prefects sell students’ confiscated items to fund their activities, such bad liars are will be EXTERMINATED in a friendly, understanding and respectful manner).

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This is an interview between me and Tani Joseph, this is the only interview that could be conducted onsite,hence the differences in how it was conducted, this stands as a testament to just how busy the prefects are, I managed to conduct an interview with Tani Joseph just before a prefects’ cult meeting.

(Begins)

We have a set of several questions

How does it feel to you to be a prefect

I feel like as if it’s to be a role model. A lot of kids look up to you the same way we’d have looked up to prefects when we were in lower classes. So it feels like you’re a role model, and it feels nice How did you feel when appointed as a new prefect?

Shock, honestly. We didn’t expect to get selected mid-year. We were ecstatic though, surprised but proud. And the same can be said for our prefects

Is there anything else you feel about it and how you handle it?

It is very time consuming, cause it comes down to how many extra curriculars you do alongside prefectship which you have to give first priority to. So it comes down down to how well you handle it, and I feel like I can manage it well enough

How do you organise yourself, you and other prefects, personally?

Other prefects randomly pop in, are shooed out by Tani

I like to write down my daily schedule, I feel like my lifesaver’s my phone., if I have a test I note it down, or another activity I have I jot it down.

So would you say the other prefects are like family to you?

Yes, really because we get along so well it’s surprising since we could click so fast. I don’t think that this has actually happened before and I think that we really got lucky this time.

In your duties as a prefect, what exactly is the extent of your duties

I feel like the key thing is to maintain a key relationship with your prefects and fair relationship with your students. You can’t favor kids, just because they’re your friend you can’t let them go off the hook easily when they’ve broken school rules.

What exactly though are your duties

It’s mainly to maintain discipline, we need to keep kids in check, on an equal level. But still be fun and get along with them. Like a last day of school again

Here’s a random question I came up with just now, what would you have done in the Legendary 2018 crazy students end year graduation rampage, with graffiti everywhere and stuff damaged?

Firstly, I’d be very disappointed if my grade actually did that, since it’s our general pride and responsibility to keep our school clean and approachable.

Your feelings on this are great to know, but also what do you think you actually would have done in this situation

I personally don’t think I’ll actually find myself in a situation like that. Sure it’d be fun to break in and pull some hanky panky, I feel that after all we’ve gone through to us as a people, so as unlikely as all that would be, …. I’d probably bunker down, no stopping that.

What’s your take on felines in the school grounds?

I’d probably feed them and pet them to be honest, but I also think that we, humane and kind as the people of the school are, are eventually gonna have to take it outside. If it’s something tough it could survive out there, yeah. But if it’s really in need of help we’ll shelter it.

And now, What about your magic prefect powers? they are magic , right? When trouble makers see you they scram

I wish there was a secret, I wish I could tell you I was like Batwoman. But ultimately our powers are more limited than that, our thing is to be like role models.

My extent go as far as giving students detention, but I’ll try to avoid it as much a possible and try to talk with them.

Here’s the last question. You know those snazzy jackets you guys wear?

Yeah?

How much are they?

(She chuckles) Actually, they’re about 12,000 rupees. (I reel in shock and horror) , but that was pre-recession, so I doubt it’s still the same (Bells of doom ring in my head) , and here’s the thing, if you’re a larger student, you’ll have to pay extra for a larger one to fit you

I am scared, very scared

Don’t be, it’s worth it

Is it comfortable?

It does get a bit hot in the sun, but it feels great to walk around school in a jacket, you’re like ‘yeah’.

Thanks for all your answers, have a great day and hopefully you don’t get late for the cult, prefects’ meeting.

No, thank you and have a great day!

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This next, is an interview between me and Haani Ahamed

How does it feel to be a prefect, and a returning one at that?

Being a prefect has been a very fulfilling role in my life over the time I have been appointed. It’s a very empowering leadership role and has boosted my self-esteem and confidence in many ways than one. Although, the responsibility and expectations from prefects are quite high- all of us try our very best to be the most fitting role model as one of our many requirements as a prefect.

How do you organise yourself as a prefect?

There’s many ways to answer this question, however I believe methodically creating a schedule and a list for your tasks can be very helpful. As all humans, us prefects can also tend to be forgetful on rare occasions so this really helped me maintain a good impression as a prefect. Writing down tasks and organizing your duties periodically can be a very helpful and underrated trick in the game. The prefects treat one another as one would treat their family, with respect and care for each and every one of us. There tends to be no disputes whatsoever between prefects over the academic year and I would like to say that we support each other throughout all our friendships together, whether that is as a prefect or simply a friend. Also help one another whenever it is necessary and we do not hesitate to have each other’s backs.

What exactly are your duties, and what is the extent of them?

In short, the role and duty of a prefect is to be the best role model for all students that attend AIS and sustain good standard and excellence in the school. We are to ensure there is unity and decorum between all students. If any student is in need of advice or help, they are more than welcome to reach out to any one of us. I would say the extent of our duties would actually be advising the students to follow rules and regulations set by the school. For it is not upto us to “punish” violently or aggressively scold any student- we are simply only allowed to ensure the student is aware of their mistake(s) and be sure they do not repeat it.

Does your role as a prefect interfere in your school life and academics, and if so, how?

The duties and responsibilities of being a prefect can be burdening on very few occasions, however many prefects before us have been able to balance school life and academics excellently, and I believe that with the right effort and commitment towards ones education or any aspect of school life for that matter, anything is possible.

By the way, what do you think of the felines on the school ground, regardless of how adorable they are?

Haha, finally an interesting question. The felines that walk into our school are very cute, I must say. However, none of them have ever seemed to be harmful towards our students or staff therefore, we have not seen any reason to take any sort of action towards this since they quite harmless. In fact, I believe the felines help bring people together when all the small (and older) kids swarm together to fondle the innocent cats.

What exactly is the range of your powers? ….. By which I mean your special magic prefect powers that allow you to sense trouble-makers, and and then cause them to turn tail and run (not outright running, more like an awkward fast shuffle)when in your presence

Well, I guess the secret’s out.. besides the ability to have eyes at every corner in AIS, we also have a spidey sense to all types of misbehavior at school😯. The rest of our powers are confidential unfortunately however, they are in constant use to ensure no evil-doers are fit to rise. Haha —————

The following is an interview between me and Maahirah Ahamed

How does it feel to be a prefect?

Well, it feels really great , I feel so glad , blessed and proud to have achieved prefectship

being a prefect gives me the chance to help others in ways that i couldn't before and if you are a good prefect, people look up to you. i can inspire others into doing amazing things. It's also a good early taste of leadership and the responsibilities accompanying that.

How do you organize yourselves?

hmmm so with prefectship comes responsibilities and with that being organized is definitely of utmost importance; to be well planned with your schedule. Maintain a daily planner and leave room for timing errors or delays and keep to the schedule - so no time to waste. firstly completing your work on time - if you miss on that even once you mess up . Secondly being balanced with sports and extracurricular activities. I think the most important way to be organized is to be well planned with your schedule .

What sort of relationship do you have with your fellow prefects?

we have an amazing and awesome prefects guild, we are like family with good communication among ourselves.Being there for each other , understanding each other is essential for our growth as a guild to ensure efficiency and smooth running of our own area of responsibility and most importantly of the school as a whole, supporting the staff of AIS.

What exactly are your duties, and what is the extent of them?

I have duty on thursdays where I have to be in school early to check on my fellow peers and juniors on their attire and Keep track if they are abiding to school rules and regulations. I also have class duty everyday where if they need any assistance I can be approachable .

I Attend prefect meetings , assist parents during parent teacher meetings and maintain an atmosphere of friendly cooperation, peace, discipline and unity at school assemblies/ event. Right now we are not burdened with duties so it’s more fun and i enjoy and love doing the duties I have been assigned. I would say one of my main duty is to be an ambassador of AIS and do full justice to my position with goodwill, hard work and compassion

Does your role as a prefect interfere in your school life and academics, and if so, how?

not at all. Like I mentioned before, keeping up with my schedule and planner really helps with managing my academics and extra curriculars.

However, I must say i do feel an added need to perform extremely well in my studies and other activities, as I feel I am constantly in view of those who look up to me. I want to show them that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

What exactly is the range of your powers? By which I mean your special magic prefect powers that cause all evil-doers to turn tail and run in your presence

well with power comes responsibilities and vice versa . To show your power, you need to be humble , caring , understanding, patient and a good listener and that itself is the magical spell. You give love and respect and you gain it back - that’s the turning tail . Our respected principal, Sir harshana perera mentioned one very important thing that I always keep in mind - the three ‘F’s ; to be fair, firm and friendly.

Thank you and good luck to you

I’ll need it, thank you and have a great day

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