Prefect-to-be Billy Rivellini ’09 and his prefect Jin Ha ’08 outside their dorm Atwater . PHOTO/Lizzie Needham ’09

Although students flocked home to enjoy their Spring Breaks, members of the Choate faculty remained on campus to finalize next year’s team of prefects.

Choate Rosemary Hall prefects are the key student leaders in dormitory life. The Student Handbook states: “Prefects are expected to act as empathetic student counselors, assist in the daily running of their house, and, with their house advisers’ assistance, set a happy and constructive tone. Prefects are the eyes and ears of the house advisers and can often make the difference in how smoothly a house runs.”

“It is important for the seniors to set the precedent for the entire school,” notes newly appointed Head Prefect Lizzie Needham ’09, who will prefect in Pitman next year. She continued, “Part of this means setting the school spirit, which would hopefully influence [prefectees] to have great school spirit as well.”

Juniors who were selected to be prefects next year have come a long way from the beginning of the meticulous selection process that began in January. Students interested in becoming prefects had to apply to the program by attending meetings, obtaining recommendations from their advisers, and filling out applications that included essays.

The resident adviser—Head of House—of each dormitory was given a packet with the names and pictures of applicants to rate. The deans of each student were invited to discuss the students in the process, giving their opinions and feedback about every candidate.

Mr. James Yanelli and Ms. Emily Brenner, the co-directors of the prefect program, made the final decisions. Mr. John Ford, Dean of Students, and Ms. Amy Salot, Director of Residential Life, approved the decisions. 64 fifth formers were chosen from a pool of 108 students to become the new prefects of 17 dormitories.

Before the coming year can begin, each prefect must take an oath and sign a contract to officially assume their new position.

Mari Taylor Troutman ’09, a newly appointed prefect in the new girls’ dorm observes, “I’m excited and nervous, but at the same time I’m ready to get next year started!”

On April 17th and April 30th, two orientation programs will be held to train the new prefects. A panel of current prefects, including Head Prefects Jen Bashian ’08 and Sam Cabot ’08, will describe the duties and experiences of being a prefect in greater detail. The core of the training will take place during “pre-season” next August, at the Choate Leadership Institute conducted by Ms. Salot and Ms. Mary Pashley. The new prefects will return two days before the rest of the senior class, in order to receive more specific training concerning their duties and the particular traditions of their dorms.

The training is necessary; the responsibilities of a prefect are numerous and occasionally challenging. At the basic level, prefects are expected to set a good tone in dormitories, help the resident adviser enforce house rules, assist advisers at check-in, and serve as role models and older siblings for the students in the dorms.

“Ever since freshman year, I have looked up to the senior prefects in my dorm who have been like big sisters to me,” explains Stephanie Choi ’09, a prefect assigned to the new girls’ dorm.

Indeed, prefects are often expected to serve as counselors and confidants, helping prefectees settle into the school year on a firm footing. Most significantly, prefects are required to confront any violations of major school rules, within and outside their dorms. “It’s something they agree to in the contract they sign,” notes Ms. Brenner.

Logically, prefects are chosen for their ability to handle such responsibilities. The core qualities that the house advisers and co-directors look for in a prospective prefect are leadership, personal integrity, influence, and communication skills.

Prefects are students who need to work with their peers on a daily basis, and they must be able to produce a certain respect and prestige in students. Being a prefect is more than possessing good personality traits; he or she must be a “person who can promote the community,” as Ms. Brenner observes.

From the group of selected students, the co-directors work with the Dean of Students and others to assign each prefect to a dormitory. Prefects are allowed to indicate dorm preferences, and current resident advisors are also asked to select prefects who would match well with their dorms. Co-directors then attempt to compromise the recommendations of the advisers with the preferences of the prefects and the overall needs of the school. Once the prefects have been allotted provisionally to the dorms, diversity of personality, background, and interests is considered.

“In any dorm, there are a lot of different personalities and backgrounds…for example, we would not put all Arts Concentration [prefects] in one dorm,” explained Ms. Brenner. The new prefects are also responsible for selecting the new Head Prefects, one boy and one girl.

The 64 prefects will nominate as many candidates for Head Prefect from amongst themselves as they wish. Head Prefects will be chosen by next week, once the votes are tallied. “Head Prefect duties are especially tough,” says Cabot. “We have a lot of reputation to live up to.”

The Head Prefects work closely with Mr. Yanelli and Ms. Brenner and also meet regularly with all other prefects to be updated on the various situations around the dorms.

“We are the bridge between the students running dorms, and the faculty running dorms,” Cabot concludes. Head Prefects are given special training in addition to the pre-season and orientation programs. They attend a two-week-long summer program at the High Mountain Institute in Colorado. After this training, the Head Prefects return ready and capable to take the lead among leaders.

There are a few noteworthy differences in the prefect program this year. The two new dorms will require two teams of prefects to take responsibility for establishing the legacy of these new dormitories.

Many dorms have also been converted to all-fourth-form or all fifth-form-houses. Many new prefects approve of the change, believing that prefecting one form “will be easier, just because all the same rules apply—lights-out, etc.,” as Lizzie Needham ’09, who will be perfecting in the newly-all-fourth-form Pitman, observes.

Following a few incidents around the time of the application process, some prefects were removed from their duties. The prefect program this year has also been the subject of more focus and more intense scrutiny.

“The public nature of the events has made the reality of the prefect responsibility more obvious and more serious,” affirms Mr. Yanelli. As a result, the applicants were forced to think more carefully about the role of prefect, and the selections were made with exceptional care and labor.

Cabot believes strongly in this group: “They are especially down-to-earth; every kid is a strong part of the group.”

With the new factors introduced, the new prefects carry high expectations upon their shoulders. “They have big shoes to fill” says Ms. Brenner, “but they can do it.”