2020 Prefects

It has truly been an honour to serve as School Captain this year. My journey in student leadership began in Year 7 when I was elected into the SRC. Now, in my last year of schooling, I can certainly say I have learnt a great deal about being a leader. Leadership requires empathy, decisiveness, confidence and most of all resilience. Guiding the Prefect Body in 2020 has presented many challenges. Luckily, this unprecedented situation was made easier with the help of my fellow Captain, Tom Nieser, and Senior Prefect, Loklan Duong. Together, we considered issues, designed tasks, delegated roles and organised for the planning of events and meetings alike.

My role as Captain was to oversee the planning and execution of events, facilitate ideas introduced by my fellow Prefects, as well as address critical issues facing our student body such as mental health awareness and positive school culture. As a result of the COVID-19 situation we weren’t able to accomplish all the goals we set out to achieve. However, we were able to show strength as a team by empowering and encouraging our cohort in these tough times.

Initially, the Prefect Body set out to improve school culture by highlighting the positive values of our school. Together, the Prefect Body developed the Bushy Boys Culture Initiative (BRO’S project) with the aim of developing a relationship between the Prefect Body and junior years. The BRO’S project focused on highlighting the core values, traditions and experiences of seniors into a program that would allow junior students to transition into opportunities within the wider community. I had a major role in developing this project which consisted of planning the layout of the program, creating the components, and guiding the teams associated with each year group.

The Prefect Body of 2020 strived to uphold the goodwill and reputation of the school. An early event which I, myself, had a major role in organising was “Two in a roll day”. This day highlighted a prominent food staple within our school, the “Two in a roll”, with the focus on helping the Australian community bounce back from the devastating Bushfires through raising money. Other events such as Men’s Mental Health Day and the Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women focused on addressing key issues facing youth in our community.

As we are now nearing the end of our tenure as Prefects, the Prefect Body now has the focus on developing the newly elected Prefect Body, passing down our experiences while working as a team. Captaincy during 2020 has invited me to develop resolutions to a wide range of problems. The actions of the current Prefect Body, and Year 12 cohort, have inspired me remarkably. I am, and always will be, devoted to uplifting and respecting my role as School Captain, and I look forward to continuing my contribution to the school and community in the future.

The past year for the prefect body has been a difficult road travelled, all of which is added to an already stressful year. In spite of this, the group has displayed significant resilience, still managing to organise and run a multitude of events across the year.

The first day after Prefect camp, Bassam, Ahmad and I were delegated to chair the indoor and outdoor graduation ceremonies for the preceding cohort, which was a great honour. In the following weeks of our new roles, the Prefect Body was tasked with running Movember, Men’s Mental Health, and attending various prefect activities such as Prefect Afternoon Teas and the Remembrance Day ceremony. Our Prefect Body also started the HBHS Prefects Instagram page, allowing students and parents alike to access information.

In Term 1 of 2020, in response to the canteen losing highly valued items after coming under new management, Zain and myself decided to bring back an old favourite for a one day special; Two on a Roll Day. The money which was raised was donated to help those affected by the bushfires early in the year. The group had also hosted our own very successful Prefect Afternoon Tea, in which a diverse range of local schools attended. In the weeks after, the outbreak of COVID-19 began, and our duties of Prefect became much more difficult to fulfil. Meetings were stopped due to social distancing; events were cancelled because of crowds – our year of opportunity was slipping from our fingers.

Term 2 began online, making it next to impossible to run activities. But through the use of social media, we were able to stay connected to the cohort. Using our social media page, we were able to create a Thank You video, aimed at staff and teachers who went above and beyond during lockdown.

Term 3 saw the Prefect Body and Year 12 alike preparing for the Trials, making it even harder to run activities on top of everything else. As we finished our exams, we began to prepare for the end of year ceremonies, namely graduation activities and formal.

As our year as Prefect comes to a close, we begin to lay the foundation for the succeeding Prefect group, hoping to give them the best opportunity to represent and lead the school.

Being selected as the senior prefect of the 2019/2020 student leadership body has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my high school journey as I aimed to fulfil all my duties to the highest quality. This role allowed me to expand my own leadership skills as I took charge of the prefect body and assisted in the execution of their leadership actions such as fundraisers. In my position I enjoyed and maintained fluid collaboration amongst my team and aided the coordination of all prefect initiatives where role delegation was my responsibility. I aimed to keep everyone satisfied with their roles and peers in the team as well as play to everyone’s unique strengths and areas of interest when delegating tasks and positions.

In the early stages of my role I was assigned with the task of creating a scaffold for the weekly meetings of the leadership body. I also created a weekly roster for the Tuesday morning assembly which is chaired by a different prefect each week. In addition to this, I timetabled a roster/schedule to organise the prefects into their daily canteen duties to maintain order in the lunch lines. In all these rosters I sought everyone’s preferences and aimed to satisfy all needs.

As senior prefect I acted as a liaison between students and school administration and solved financial problems as well as issues regarding specific pupils such as behavioural issues in different age groups. In union with the School Captain and Vice-Captain, I delegated different prefects to different year groups to directly target areas of interest and improvement.

The senior prefect role requires meticulous organisation as well as moderation and empathy when considering other prefect’s needs. As of writing this my largest contributions have been the aid in organising the Prefect Afternoon tea, where I delegated Minh Mai to take charge, as well as the running of fundraisers to help support the Australian bushfire crisis.

‘2020’ was meant to be the year of opportunity and greatness, however that was not to be, early 2020 brought with it bushfires, floods and COVID19. Yet with all this devastation we have demonstrated, as Bushy Boys, the strong men that we are. We have exemplified the school motto, ‘Recte Et Fortiter’, ‘Upright & Strong’. COVD-19 has affected our world, no one could have predicted the monumental distress that this pandemic would have on human life across the world, and the detrimental deaths and economic crashes destroying the lives and livelihoods of billions across the world. COVD-19 restricted our learning capacities, shut down our schools but we sought to stay ‘upright & strong’. Mahatma Gandhi once said, ‘every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph: a beginning, a struggle, and a victory.’ I know that every single one of us has struggled this year, through either adapting to distance learning through zoom, google classroom and not having the ability to raise your voice and ask questions in class or hearing the echoing school bells, awaiting the lunch bell.

Before the pandemic, I had the privilege to lead and organise 'Men's Mental Health Day’, where alongside the school counsellor and fellow school leaders, we demonstrated the importance of our minds and how to keep our mental health a priority. I personally discussed the importance of having control of what we need to do in order to be happy and how we must do our part in ensuring our friends are well, it starts with just a conversation in order to change a life.

I would like to take this final opportunity to thank all of you, my school community, my teachers and my friends, in helping develop and shape the ‘bushy boy’ that I am today. I would have never dreamt 5 years ago walking within the hallways of our school, the impact that Homebush Boys would have in shaping my future, and the lasting relationships and legacy that I will leave within Homebush Boys and take the ever-lasting memories and lessons learnt to put into practice within my personal life after school. I cannot wait for the new beginnings and experiences I will now experience within my next stages of life. As they say ‘one chapter written, now another one to write’. I want you all to remember this and live by this, ‘always try your best, never give up, the world really works in mysterious ways but if you start with developing your personal values you will never lose anything you should never give up in what you believe in because you can conquer your dreams, fight for everything that you truly believe in and never, ever give up!’. Thank you 2020 and Homebush Boys!

Through this year as prefects we have faced many disruptions and not been able to do everything we have set out to do, because of COVID19. However, given the lack of time we had, many of us still managed to achieve some of our goals and run some successful events. All prefects including myself were involved in the ‘2 on a Roll Day’ which was our must successful event we held all year. I also managed to attend year 7 camp as a mentor with many of my other prefects which was a fantastic experience and allowed us to create bonds with the younger years. During the year myself and two other prefects, Minh Mai and Srikar Danthurty, planned, organised and ran our PAT (prefect afternoon tea). This PAT ended up being one of the better ones being held as we were told by the prefects from other schools who attended. All in all, although disrupted, myself and many other prefects managed to run successful events and achieve a few of our goals.

As a Prefect at Homebush Boys High school, we had encountered an immense amount of challenges as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this, I had been able to provide a supporting role in various initiatives put forth throughout this academic school year. At the end of Term 4, the group had organised a “2 in a roll” day to raise money for firefighters who were confronting the Australian Bushfires that had been causing immense damage to the environment. This day involved bringing back the discontinued chicken fillet bread roll food item that had become iconic at the school over the years. As a part of this, my role was assembling the food that we were selling. It was an exhausting but rewarding experience allowing us to raise almost $1000 for our first charity fundraiser. A program that had been initiated among the Prefects was to split into small groups to foster greater relationships with the younger year groups. Assigned to the Year 7 group, we had been able to participate in one of their year assemblies where we could chat with them about the transition into high school. By making ourselves known and available to them, we were able to provide them with a source of support if they were hesitant or unsure of anything related to high school.

Along with the routine canteen and supervision duties in Term 4 and Term 1, we were able to become closer to the Year 7 cohort at Homebush Boys. Additionally, I have been involved in a supportive role at various perfect initiatives included our Afternoon Tea and Covid-19 Thank You Video. 2020 has been an extremely challenging year with lockdown for most of the Term severely constricting our ability to plan and execute new events. However, as a Prefect at Homebush Boys High School, I am grateful for the various initiatives that we had conducted this year amidst the ongoing difficulties we faced. 

As a Prefect, I was given an opportunity to better the school, and wider community, working as member of the collective, making contributions, whilst undertaking a variety of roles. Although we were hindered by the tumultuous nature of this year, I feel our efforts have made a positive impact on the school, and students to come. One of our initial initiatives was, “Movember,” a month dedicated to men’s health, characterised by the growth of one’s Stache. I made an attempt to take part in doing so, a futile attempt, but an attempt, nonetheless. I also took part in our fundraising for the relief of those affected by the devastating bushfires, bringing back the infamous, “Two in a Roll,” to bring back what was lost. In connecting with the community, and students to come, I participated in the Year 7 orientation, interacting with parents, and primary school students, showing them around the school, highlighting the opportunities this school has to offer.

As a Prefect in 2019/20 working hard alongside my team, I have done what I can to help our school and local community. Working tirelessly alongside charities and organisations such UBelong and Beyond Blue with our limited time during this long hard period, our Year 9 leaders and I have done what we can and have been as respectful as we can be with all our colleagues. Through tough times and difficult situations, I have tried my best to help in every way possible to balance both my study and prefect work and has been a good experience overall.

Through the Prefect body, my fellow Bushy Boys and I were able to voice the thoughts and concerns of our school community, prompting me to engage in change and school culture. Our determination to preserve our school roots and traditions, while aiding those in need in the midst of the bush fire tragedy, we all contributed to raising funds by selling two-in-a-roll sandwiches on our “two-in-a-roll day,” a day which deemed successful for the school community in maintaining our school culture. However, our need to conserve our school culture transcends two-in-a-roll, as we reached out to parents and families and exhibited our stunning school and achievements to upcoming year 7 students during Open Day. From the science labs and computing rooms to the arts and music departments, we exhibited the everlasting achievements of our Bushy Boys and their talents to the community, in aims of opening our doors to future talented and successful Bushy Boys whom will carry our legacy. This could not have been achieved without the synchronous planning and guided tour executed by our school leaders, the Prefects. Being part of the Prefect body was a pleasure for me, a rewarding experience which will be remembered till the end of time.

I was given the opportunity to engage in multiple activities throughout my time as Prefect of Homebush Boys High School 2020. Beginning with the “2 in a roll day”, I was involved in the planning of this event, preparing the rolls and serving them to the students of our school. The vastly anticipated “Movember” and the activities associated with the event (such as the spray painting of the student’s hair) were able to run smoothly thanks to the harmonised teamwork between myself and the other members of the Prefect body. For our Prefect afternoon tea where we invited Prefect’s from other school’s for teambuilding activities, my sole responsibility was to behave as the DJ, ensuring that the music played inside the hall was appropriate for the occasion, so that it provided a dynamic atmosphere for guests to bond with each other. Ultimately, it was the strong teamwork that our Prefect body had with each other which enabled us to carry out our duties as a team, so that we can represent our school with pride and improve the culture of our school. Hence, after this remarkable time as a Prefect of Homebush Boys High School, I am proud to say that “I was, and forever will be, a prefect of HBHS”.

As prefect I worked closely with Rishabh and Prajit in overseeing the Year 8 group (2020), especially in giving presentations on various issues such as ‘Respect and Bullying’ and preparing the ‘Anti-violence Against Women’ day, facilitating the group’s entry into Homebush Boys’ school culture. For ‘Antiviolence against Women’ Day, I contacted Ms Diane Humphries to be the speaker at the assembly and helped planning the event’s organisation with Rishabh and Prajit. I also contributed by helping the Prefects with preparing the fundraising event ‘Two in a Roll’ by buying suppliers, organising the tables and preparing the rolls for sale.

My year as a Homebush Boys’ High School Prefect has been filled with ups and downs, twists and turns and plenty of enjoyable and meaningful experiences, activities and events. From our insanely hectic Prefect Camp to our iconic 2-in-aroll day, being a Prefect this year has been absolutely amazing. It has also been a challenging and testing experience, such as planning our Prefect Afternoon Tea, rushing to finish our posters for various school events or simply finding enough bread for our Two-in-a-rolls, the road has been a long, difficult but enjoyable one. The friendship and bond our Prefect body shares is truly phenomenal and one that will last a lifetime. It has been an absolute honour to represent Homebush Boys’ this year, and no one will say it but I am by far the best Prefect. 

As a prefect of Homebush Boys in 2020, I was given the opportunity to participate in numerous activities throughout the year. Firstly, my team raised awareness for White Ribbon Day by preparing ribbons and asking students across various year groups to write what it means for them to be a man. I and other members of the body went around the school putting the ribbons up around the school. I also took part in raising funds for the bushfire relief campaign and was involved in the promotion and planning of “2- in-a roll day”, by making announcements on the PA and serving the rolls to the students. “Movember” is another important event that I had taken part in as we received donations from the students for spray-painting their hair. Through engaging in these and various other events, I was able to form a greater bond with the prefect body and the school. 

Prefects at Homebush Boys High School, this year, took the initiative of raising awareness and encouraging young men to stand up for positive change. My part included planning for events and ensuring a smooth execution of all parts of the collective initiative planned. This involved an assembly with Strathfield Girls High School and placing signs around the school spreading vital information. As an individual my role also included speeches at assembly to encourage young individuals to be part of the change that the Prefect body aim for at HBHS. Moreover, as the symbol of promise to end violence against women a white flower, was gifted to Strathfield Girls’ High School. This initiative was conducted with a simple goal to set an example as a school leader that violence against any individual is not acceptable. Therefore, the goal surely was to help raise awareness but also send out a message that we stand together on this issue. Hopefully, some progress was made through the initiative.

In my tenure as school Prefect, I have been presented with a wide range of opportunities that allowed me to provide my personal input towards changing the school for the better. One of these was becoming a group leader at Year 7 camp, which helped me meet some of the new students and connect with them, giving them some advice for high school life. One other opportunity in which I gave my contribution as a prefect leader was the co-organising of our school’s Prefect Afternoon Tea, where Prefects from various schools came to HBHS to discuss and share initiatives and events that they were planning on holding, alongside the rest of the prefect team. Overall, being a Prefect has been an engaging experience, not just because of the events organised and attended, but also because of the experience itself.