Spotlight On: 2024-2025 Prefects

Vivian Blessing '27
          Maddie McIntyre ’25 is a day student prefect in the Dawes House. Since August, she has embraced this new role and told her friends regularly that she has found “89 new friends” in the members of Dawes. McIntyre’s favorite part of prefecting thus far has been getting to know the II Form girls, spending time chatting with them, and answering their questions. She foresees that time management will be challenging this year, as she participates in sports, academics and writes her college applications, on top of her role as prefect.  However, she feels ready and said that “it’s definitely worthwhile, even when it is challenging.” As the year started, McIntyre was particularly excited about the Bowl Cup, and now that it has passed, she remembers it as one of the best events with her prefectees so far. She is thrilled to be a prefect, as it was something she has known she wanted to do since the beginning of her Lawrenceville experience. As McIntyre puts it, “Lawrenceville has given me a lot…so I just wanted to  give back to the community.”

         Lilah Firestone ’25 has been a member of the Stanley House for two years and is now embarking on her third as one of the four prefects in the House and one of two boarder prefects.  So far, Firestone has enjoyed watching the girls throw themselves into the community with fiery enthusiasm and House spirit, a trait evidenced by Stanley’s performance at the House Olympics. Additionally, Firestone is “excited to just watch the House form with a new group of girls,” including her younger sister. Firestone acknowledges that developing strong relationships with the “Stanladies,” as they affectionately refer to each other, while balancing spending time with her friends in V Form housing will be a challenge, but it is one she is prepared to take on! When asked about why she decided to serve as a prefect, Firestone supplied that it was because Stanley has “provided [her] with such a strong, supportive community—something [she is] determined to give back” to a younger generation of Lawrentians. 

Dorothy Lee '26

         Anika Ponnambalam ’25 is a day student prefect in the Dawes House this year. 

         Reflecting on her II Form experience in her II Form year, Ponnambalam noted, “It’s scary to go to a new place and know no[one].” She believes that prefects offer a “built-in support system” to the new students, allowing them to “interact more freely with everyone around [them].” 

         Initially, Ponnambalam had “anticipated [the] challenge [of] balancing her job as a prefect with college applications and extracurriculars.” However, she has been able to spend a considerable amount of time in Dawes so far. Ponnambalam especially enjoys her duty nights in the House, a newly implemented system where one prefect is assigned to stay in the common room from 7:00 to 8:30 PM once a week.

         Despite the time commitment of the prefect role,  Ponnambalam noted that “it’s actually really easy to keep…connections with [her] friends, even [though]  [she is]…not in the same House as everybody else.” In fact, she appreciates the opportunity to form stronger bonds with the other Dawes prefects and considers this year’s prefects in the II Form Houses to be “a great team.”

         “Each of us has strengths in different areas,” Ponnambalam elaborated, “which I think is really important—that we’re not all exactly the same.” Diversity of interests enables prefects to collectively connect with a variety of people in the House. This way, she claimed, “the II Formers can each have a prefect that they might want to go to if they have questions about any particular issue.”  

          For the rest of the year, Ponnambalam hopes to become a prefect approachable to those who, much like her past self, “might not be as outgoing, who might not be the people to take the initiative [to approach their prefects].”

         Raymond House residential prefect Ben Maughan ’25 considers his role to be multifaceted, serving as a friend, an assistant to the Heads of House, and an older brother. Overall, he noted, “I think the biggest role we, [the prefects], have is just to be there.”

         While the task may appear simple, Maughan explained that “being present” involves a variety of responsibilities.

         “We have to be there physically, mentally, [and] emotionally,” he said.

         To Maughan, returning to Raymond almost felt as though he went back in time—seeing remnants of himself and the Class of  2025 in the current II Formers. Yet, in doing so, Maughan is reminded of his past difficulties when adjusting to the School as a new student.  

         “It’s really tough,” he said, “Boarding school is completely different from anything anyone [else] will ever experience, and kids take a lot of time to adjust to that.” 

         As such, while Maughan currently holds a lot of pride for both the School and Raymond, he noted that “it took [him] a really long time to get to that point.” Maughan hopes that by offering advice and support to his prefectees, he will be able to “make a difference in the lives of the [II Formers]...in however small of a way.” 

          In anticipation for the rest of the year, Maughan looks forward to seeing the II Formers grow and form a community. Along with the other Raymond and Dawes House prefects, he hopes to establish stronger unity across the Bowl, fostering inter-House friendships that can continue into and across the Circle and the Crescent in following years.

         “Just [from] seeing them develop as people and come to their own,” Maughuan said, “I’m super excited to see what these kids can do.” 

         As a residential prefect in the Kirby House, Ella Fessler ’25 looks forward to connecting with the new students in the House this year. While anticipating the rest of the school year, Fessler reflects on her first experiences in Kirby at the beginning of her III Form year. 

         “I was terrified to be in Kirby and to be in the Crescent,” she recalled, “but I just remember [how] all the IV Formers and my prefects were so welcoming, and I immediately fell in love with the House.” 

         Throughout the year, she formed close connections with her Housemates, bonds which she attributes to the work of her class of ’23 prefects. From then on, Fessler dedicated herself to becoming one herself, in order to offer future members of her House “a transition as seamless as [the one her own prefects] made for [her].” 

         As this is her third year in Kirby, Fessler has witnessed her Housemates from years prior grow into “leadership roles…and watch over [the House] and the younger [students],” which she described as her favorite part of continuing to live in Kirby. She admitted that her newfound responsibility in the House initially made her “a little bit nervous,” but her worries soon disappeared once she began interacting with her Housemates again.

         “I think the Crescent and the Circle Houses provide a close knit community,” Fessler added, “and I really like being able to contribute to [it].” She hopes to ensure that “all the new girls to the School feel really welcomed and understand how everything works around here.”

         “Being a prefect is the best thing ever,”  Fessler concluded, “and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”