It’s probably overtly obvious by the title, but I’ll say it anyway – I’m a School Prefect for 2009! But ironically enough, I didn’t really celebrate much other than congratulate my peers who also got selected, since what I’m really waiting on finding out is whether or not I got House Captain… but that’s another story altogether. Anyway, what really preoccupied me over the entire ordeal was the impact that it made on the people who didn’t get selected – some people outright deserved it in many people’s opinions but it just wasn’t to be – and that got me worried… if I don’t make House Captain, it won’t be because I don’t deserve it, because everyone, and I know that I do, and I’ve even been shortlisted for it, but what if I don’t? For some, any obscure reason?!

I didn’t know how to react to people who were visibly upset over not being selected – especially those that were congratulating me. ‘Course I accepted the congratulatory hugs and comments with good grace, and tried my best with consoling responses, but… I know that no matter what I say it won’t make a difference. If anything, something I might say may even make it worse for them. What’s worse was when some of my friends who could’ve potentially gotten school prefect started badmouthing the reasons why people got it – “just because they knew lots of teachers and got a good word put in for them”, “it’s all about who you know”, etc… – I didn’t know what to do, because, said friends get better marks than me on average, and are just as deserving as me of being School Prefect, but in all honesty, I know why they didn’t get it – too quiet, not much of a leader, generally just don’t possess the right leadership qualities – but who am I to judge, and what should, no, what could I say?!

Our school anually hosts a Leaver’s Concert, usually solely organised by the Year 13 students to commemorate their 5 years’ dedication and involvement in music at school – whether only as a member of a school ensemble or also as a music student. The general procedure is that all the top, senior bands will perform, accompanied by a powerpoint presentation in the background; they’re usually not very interesting, but this year’s year 13s decided to record Mr Weeks (our HOD and director of the Senior Concert Band and Orchestra) yelling and singing out phrases at rehearsals.

And so the show goes, band after band, highlight after highlight, memory after memory, (inside) joke after joke… it’s not really so much the content itself that really hit me smack-bang! in the face this year, but the entire concept of the event itself – I realised, with much fear, that this would be me next year, dressed up as according to the theme, running around in crazy swirls of loose paper and presentations – has 4 years really passed so quickly?! Having been a member of the Stage Band as a rare junior (back when juniors in “senior” bands were rare…), this is the third Leaver’s Concert that I’ve attended, and the experience just hits closer to home each year. Each year, I’m afraid that I’ll break out in tears the next year, as I lose another year level’s worth of seniors to rely on… I’ll be it next year.