In these articles, we talk to our student leaders about what it is they actually do and how they are growing through their role(s)

What do you see as the function of your Prefect role within the Columba community?

Sophia - To share God’s love and the Gospel with the Columba College student body by helping to organise and run chapel services every week, and making Chapel a place everyone wants to be.

Mabel - To promote the special character aspect of our school and to hopefully make chapel enjoyable for everyone!

How has your Columba experience thus far prepared you for this role?

Sophia - Attending Chapel every week gave me a good knowledge of what the end product of each week’s work looks like, and therefore gave me something to aim for. Although the amount of behind the scenes work done by the prefects was somewhat underplayed. I think that the work ethic that is encouraged by the teachers has definitely helped me cope with the combined load of being a Prefect and getting all my school work done.

Mabel - Going to chapel every week, and seeing how the previous chapel prefects managed the entire program have definitely helped build my understanding of the role of a chapel prefect, but at the same time, there are a lot of behind-the-scene works they had done that Sophia and I learnt about this year.

Do you have any initiatives planned for the year?

Sophia - We are currently in the process of organising a student-Led Chapel for week 3 this term, and are hoping to have another one next term. We have also formed a Chapel Music Team that will be leading us in singing most weeks.

Mabel - There will be hopefully two student-led chapels coming up this year, so that will be something for all of us to look forward to!

Explain challenges you have faced in taking on this leadership role; how have you dealt with them?

Sophia - Dr. Macleod has been away all year so far, and Rev. Nicol has kindly stepped in to run the services. This has been particularly challenging for us throughout Term 1 as neither Rev. Nicol nor Mabel and I knew the specifics of how Chapel was planned and organised behind the scenes. However, through careful planning and with Rev. Nicol’s guidance we have figured most of this out, so Term 2 should be much smoother.

Mabel - With Dr Macleod being away right from the start of the year, we were definitely under some pressure initially as we could not get much guidance on our specific leadership roles. Thankfully, we have our lovely Rev Nicol who has stepped in for Dr Macleod and helped us with the planning and sorting out different things. It has been wonderful to work with Rev Nicol and I have learnt so much during this time!

What key advice do you have for future Chapel prefects?

Sophia - My biggest piece of advice for future Chapel Prefects is to take the role seriously. In previous years, it has seemed to me like the main job of the Chapel Prefects was to carry the cross in the Processional and Recessional, and to ask the school to stand and dismiss them at the end of the service. The role was joked about a bit by both students and the Chapel Prefects themselves, so I must admit I wasn’t as prepared as I should have been for the role, resulting in a rather stressful start to the term. Being a Chapel Prefect is so much more than just carrying a cross. The amount of work done by the prefects behind the scenes isn’t really talked about, but there’s a lot of it. Future Chapel Prefects: if you bear in mind that there is actually quite a lot of work to do, you will be able to go into this role a lot more prepared than I was. You will be able to manage time better right from day one, and will almost definitely be under a lot less stress. The first chapel of the year is scary, but it gets easier, and after a few weeks it’s just like another day at school. If stress does start to get to you, just remember the Prefect Team is always going to be there for you. Being Chapel Prefect is an important position at Columba, and I am honoured to have been chosen for this prestigious role.

Mabel - Planning is a really important skill! Organising every little bit of detail really does make a difference, especially if you want chapel to end promptly before lunch starts! 

Who are the key people you work with in your role?

Sophia - The key people we work with are Dr. Macleod and Rev. Nicol.

Mabel - Dr Macleod, Rev Nicol

What has been the highlight of your prefect journey so far?

Sophia - So far this year, my highlight of my Prefect journey was the preparation for Easter. Mabel and I spent about three hours cutting out Easter cards and sticking them onto chocolate bunnies to give to the staff. This time together was really great ‘team-building’ for us, which will hopefully make working together even better than it already is.

Mabel - The communion service in the last week of term 1 was pretty fun. I enjoyed pouring the cranberry juices into the little cups, it was quite therapeutic in some ways…