Who'll be a prefect?

[Kelley]

No: HPFGUIDX 12025

> Prefects are like junior officers, right? Little administrative 
aides?
> I'm not real clear on just what else their role entails, and that 
would
> have a lot to do with who is chosen to fill it....
> 
> --Amanda

Amanda, I found this old, old post from John Walton that gives good 
information on prefects.  Hope he doesn't mind my reposting it.

John Magee at jemagee1 at h... said:

>> From what i've red in the books, i believe that prefect is kinda 
like advanced hall monitor (for us folks in the states)
> Each house has a prefect whose responsibility it is to make sure 
all the rules are followed, etc...
> Maybe kinda like an RA in college?
> But I still don't know what a head boy is.<<

John wrote:
::flexes those public school memories::

Right. At my school, you had two flavours of Prefect: House and School
Prefects. The House Prefects were Upper Sixth (final year) students 
who
could be trusted to take "duty". This involved (before lessons) 
making sure
that all Matron's (the House nurse, laundry organiser, tidiness witch 
and
general sweetie) lists, tasks, etc had been done by the junior boys 
listed
to write/carry/collect/etc them, make sure that the school bell was 
rung,
and doublecheck that there were no skivers hiding in rooms.

At break time (morning recess), the duty House Prefect ensured that 
nobody
killed each other in gladness to be out of lessons, and that they 
were all
on their way in time for the remaining three lessons before lunch. 
After
lunch, if there were lessons, he did the same.

Before prep (homework time), he would make sure that the bell was 
rung and
report into the duty tutor (one of the four teachers assigned to the 
House
as assistants to the Housemaster). Since it was hopeless to get any 
work
done when you were on duty, the hour and three-quarters of prep would 
be
spent making sure that nobody was running around disturbing others, 
checking
that Matron had nothing needing doing, and generally making sure that 
the
House was quiet for the duration.

After prep, the read out the names of all non-Upper Sixth students to 
make
sure they were attending the Roll-call (house assembly). Matron's, 
Tutor's
and, if any, Housemaster's messages followed, and then the House was 
free to
go outside until ten minutes before their bedtimes. The Prefect was 
expected
to remain in the Common Room or his study for the evening in case he 
was
required. After turning the juniors' lights out at the appropriate 
time:

9:30 for Third Formers (age 13)
9:45 for Fourth Formers (age 14)
10:00 for Fifth Formers (age 15).

The Lower and Upper Sixth formers were assumed to be able to turn 
their
lights out at a sensible time. (Ha.) The Prefect made sure that all 
internal
corridor and external lights were turned off, the doors locked, and 
that the
House was quiet. He then handed the duty clipboard (with namelists,
checklists etc) into the Tutor on duty and was then off-duty.

Almost everyone was made a Prefect, for the simple reason that it 
wasn't all
that hard, and the more Prefects you had the fewer times you had to 
do duty.
The only people excluded were those caught too many times with (a) 
drink (b)
cigarettes or (c) young ladies.

Once a year, each Prefect also had to do a School Duty Week (see 
below).

As for School Prefects, these were much more select. Made up of at 
least one
person from each House (the Head of House, responsible for the well-
being,
conduct etc of the entire House), plus the Head of School (called 
Head Boy
at Hogwards, and is the senior student, reporting directly to the 
Headmaster
and generally being responsible for everything), Deputy Head of School
(self-explanatory) and five or so other School Prefects chosen for 
their
moral fibre, intelligence, good looks (okay, so I'm digressing here).

As a School Prefect, you were expected to take at least one, possibly 
a
second, duty week per term (three terms). This involved doing the 
Bible
readings in Assembly and Church (unless you weren't Christian, in 
which case
someone else did it), supervising Assembly and Church (with your two 
House
Prefects on duty), making sure that the whole school got to lessons 
on time
(also with your two House Prefects), supervising mealtimes -- making 
sure no
food was thrown around, nobody gave the kitchen staff a hard time 
etc -- and
generally being around school as a point of contact and the Busybody 
of the
Week. 

You were backed up by a Duty Teacher, who usually got to choose their
Prefect. It was a distinct hassle, but you got the recognition of 
having a
delightfully garish silver tie with green, blue, yellow and maroon 
stripes
(oh yes), symbolising the House Colours, which clashed with 
everything,
including itself.

All School Prefects also attended a weekly meeting in the Headmaster's
study, in which we were told what exciting, important events were 
happening
over the week. Stereotypically, it went like this:

Second Master (=Dean), a very Welsh man: "Right now, we've got 
Assembly on
Monday, followed by a Rugby Match against Sherborne (another school) 
in the
afternoon. Please be vigilant while watching for profanity. All names 
to Mr
X, who's the duty master. On Tuesday we have a Chess Match with 
Millfield
(another school), as well as a Senior Lecture in the main Hall. 
Please make
sure suits and white shirts are worn to that. There is an Assembly on
Wednesday, as well as the long activity period in the afternoon. 
Please move
loiterers on back to their houses. There is a Guest Speaker at Church 
on
Thursday, and the Catering Manager is planning an American Theme Day. 
Please
be extra-vigilant during lunch. There is a Junior Schools' Hockey 
Tournament
here on Friday, so encourage junior members of your Houses to attend. 
It is
a Long Weekend this weekend, so names of those going out must be 
given to me
by Thursday evening for confirmation. Headmaster, anything from you?"

At this point, our rabidly conservative Headmaster would begin to 
lambast
against any slippage in standards he had observed over the last week.
Scruffy tie knots, untucked shirts, scuffed shoes, dirty blazers, 
chewing
gum stuck to chairs...the list was endless -- and endlessly boring. 
We'd
discuss it, come to absolutely no conclusion of action to be taken, 
and
disperse for another week.

Of course, it was a great honour to be recognised as one of the 
leaders of
your year as a School Prefect, and did wonders for all of our 
university
applications (I say "our" because I was a Head of House). Every one 
of us
got offers from at least five of our six universities which we had 
applied
to, and we do all keep in touch.

I've just realised that this is now three pages long, so I'll stop. 
Feel
free to email me or the list with further questions.

--John, who doesn't *look* all that much like a public schoolboy...

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