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Student Life

Student Leadership

Every student at Westlake Girls High School belongs to one of five houses named after significant local areas. The house colours – black, gold, red, blue and green – reflect the Olympic rings to encourage the pursuit of excellence and relate to the meaning of each of the house names. The house system offers leadership opportunities for senior students and allows all students to feel connected to a smaller community within the school. Throughout the year the houses compete in a variety of events and select a house charity to support.

Each House has a House Captain, Academic Prefect, Arts Prefect, Cultural Prefect, Environmental Prefect, Service Prefect, Sports Prefect, Tuakana Co-ordinator – and a group of Tuakana students overseeing the Junior School. We also have several International Prefects. In addition, our Head Prefect and Deputy Head Prefect are highly visible leaders and role models for their fellow students at assemblies and school events. They also fulfil responsibilities in the wider school community.

Prefect Roles

Meet our 2024 Head Prefects

Candese Mamaia- Hellesoe
Georgia Brackebush

 

Candese Mamaia-Hellesoe – Head Prefect

How did you feel when you learned you would be in this role?

I was at my brother’s wedding when I received the phone call, so the moment was completely unexpected and was the last thing I could think about then! I remember missing a couple of calls from an unsaved number, so I went away to a quiet spot and called the number back. It went to voicemail. But not just any voicemail – it was Mrs Stanley’s voicemail! When I heard it, my stomach dropped. I wasn’t sure what to feel, but I felt the need to keep calling her back, so I did. Eventually, she rang me back, and I answered. When she broke the news to me, I gasped and remembered pacing back and forth in an empty corridor absolutely speechless, but eventually broke out repetitively saying, “Oh my days! Oh my days!” in pure disbelief, and I remember Mrs Stanley on the other end of the line giggling and reassuring me that it was in fact real. I will never forget the build-up of different emotions I felt that evening, especially for receiving something I did not expect one bit.

Why do you think you were chosen (what special leadership qualities do you believe you have?)

I’ve never been the best at talking about myself in that way and am often hesitant, but it presents a quality in me that I’m incredibly blessed for having, which is humility. That has been instilled in me growing up and is what I heavily embody, as I never intend to think of myself highly but rather as someone who is down to earth and easy to talk to. Another quality I feel I represent well is being socially intelligent or sociable. 

Communication is something I highly value and is what I feel has really helped me in forming the many connections I’ve made and have maintained with different people today. These qualities have helped me become a very humane individual and a suitable candidate for this honourable role. I intend to be personable enough for others to relate to or truly get along with, yet influential enough to lead others in a positive and respectful manner. 

How do you intend to use your position ‘for good’ this year?

I intend to be a bridge between students and teachers and become an outlet for students who want their viewpoints, thoughts, opinions, and concerns to be heard. I want to use my role to give ‘big sister’ type support, especially to our new Year 9s and anyone who feels they need some guidance or extra help. This is because I know what it feels like to feel a little lost among the crowd sometimes, even now, and I would do anything to let others know that they’re not alone and can always reach out for help when needed. On top of that, I would like to be a role model to younger people and prove that self-acceptance and being able to truly be yourself are the greatest forms of self-confidence in finding out who you are before becoming a role model for other people. As a young Pasifika female, it’s common to feel lost or unsure about what’s ahead and what you want. You feel the waves of expectations set before you. I would like my position in this role to be seen as an inspiration to other Polynesian sisters or brothers who aspire to become future leaders. I hope that seeing someone like me with the same ethnic background up here preaching my story could motivate them to progress that extra mile. 

Georgia Brackebush – Deputy Head Prefect

How did you feel when you learned you would be in this role?

When I got the call, I was in shock but also full of excitement. I remember hearing about all the other talented, smart girls who got an interview and was honoured to be among them.

Ultimately, I was so grateful to be given the opportunity and to have people at school who believed in me and my abilities. It can be challenging in a big school to feel like people are seeing your full potential. I thought I wouldn’t have the best chance at getting the role as I didn’t have the longest list of extracurriculars, and my blazer wasn’t filled with badges like others. How would I ever get to show them who I was and what I stood for in such a short amount of time?

Therefore, I was so proud of myself when I got the call. It showed me that you don’t need all the fancy titles or the long resumes; you just need to be yourself – kind, enthusiastic, or whatever strong qualities you may have. I knew this role would open many new opportunities for me and my future, and I am ready to take every one of them.

Why do you think you were chosen (what special leadership qualities do you believe you have?)

I believe I was chosen for this role due to my enthusiasm, drive for excellence, kindness, and personable character. I have always immersed myself in being the best person I can be and setting high standards for myself. (Not in a toxic way. I tend to do it without even realising). I have grown up in a family that challenges my ideas, lets me share my opinions, and has allowed me to grow into someone who loves to chat with anyone I come across. Due to this, I have always been able to come up with new challenges for myself, have the confidence to put myself out there and be comfortable in my own skin. Of course, this isn’t always the case for me, as everyone goes through times when they can be uncomfortable or shy. However, I strongly believe that everything will unfold the way it is meant to. In other words, everything will be fine if you put yourself out there.

It can be hard to share what you believe is good about yourself, especially as young girls – we can sometimes tend to be too humble. However, I have learned that it is okay to believe in yourself and share your good qualities – doing this has helped me gain my role.

I believe that I am confident and a good leader, but not so over-confident that I become overpowering. I believe that I am approachable and personable, which are qualities you would want to have in a leadership role so you can connect with your peers. I want the best for myself but also for everyone around me. I love seeing people succeed or reach their personal best.

How do you intend to use your position ‘for good’ this year?

I want to use my role to inspire others to be the best they can be as well. I want to show that, yes, becoming involved with lots of extracurriculars, being book smart, and having lots of badges can be important and rewarding. However, these are not the things that will make you the best person you can be. You also must be kind and strong-minded and recognise that the way you make yourself and others feel is what’s most important.

It can be easy, especially as teenage girls, to focus on superficial things, especially trying to get into leadership roles. However, I want to show my peers that it is so much more than that. I will openly say that when I was going for this role, I was comparing myself to others, wondering if I would be good enough. I was worried that I didn’t have enough badges and that my resume wasn’t long enough. You get the gist. However, I forgot to remind myself that it doesn’t all come down to that.

Therefore, this year, my goal in my role is to remind others that the person you are inside is what matters. I want to show them this by being the best person that I can be from the inside, too. Hopefully, by continuing to share this message, Westlake Girls will believe in themselves a little more, be kind, strong, compassionate, embody Mana Wahine, and recognise that it is ok to share what strong qualities they have. The person you are and the qualities you bring forth will shine through any superficial things, so make that version of yourself the best you can! 

2024 International Prefects

Marietta Aschenbrenner, Julie Ye, Reika Matsuo

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House Captain

Emily French 

Academic Prefect Sophia Ryan
Arts Prefect Katie Brown
Cultural Prefect Sofia Soriano 
Environmental Prefect Ayesha Aymen 
Service Prefect Shivani Arivuchelvan
Sports & Wellbeing Prefect Ashlee Matapo 
Tuakana Co-ordinator Grace Bateman 
Tuakana Karah Ancog 
Tuakana

Ella Aubrey

Tuakana

Amelie Caird 

Tuakana

Jacqueline Choi 

Tuakana

Portia Drummond 

Tuakana

Abby Middleton 

Tuakana

Jihyun Min 

Tuakana Sally Park 
Tuakana

Arissa Raufie 

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House Captain Maia Hunter
Academic Prefect Harmony Huston
Arts Prefect Emily Sullivan
Cultural Prefect Brennah Latoalevi-Nosa
Environmental Prefect

Hannah Anderson

Service Prefect Danika Zaidi
Sports & Wellbeing Prefect Amy Pateman
Tuakana Co-ordinator Jenna Zaher
Tuakana Maia Brown
Tuakana

Cindy Yao

Tuakana

Paige Beaumont

Tuakana

Libby Pawley

Tuakana

Mulan Riseborough

Tuakana

Hannah Anandraj

Tuakana

Hanneke Hectors

Tuakana

Tashianna Murray

Tuakana

Bonnie Lin

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House Captain Anna Greenhalgh 
Academic Prefect Emily Chen 
Arts Prefect Emily Chong 
Cultural Prefect Ajrin Ahmed 
Environmental Prefect Elsie Zeng 
Service Prefect Nicole Mak 
Sports & Wellbeing Prefect Jasmyne Howker 
Tuakana Co-ordinator Abby Wang
Tuakana

Nicky Zaayman

Tuakana

Emma Natan

Tuakana

Bella Cockcroft

Tuakana

Caelin Thompson

Tuakana

Georgia Martin

Tuakana

Grayce Brothers

Tuakana

Jiwon Choi

Tuakana

Emma Orsler

Tuakana

Athena Matthews

Tuakana

Julia Kim

Tuakana

Daniella Hall

Tuakana Alexis Edwards

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House Captain Tara Yoo
Academic Prefect Jappan Kaur
Arts Prefect Annah Mathew
Environmental Prefect Katie Kim
Cultural Prefect Emily Troughton
Service Prefect Zoe Quifors
Sports & Wellbeing Prefect Phoebe Dobson
Tuakana Co-ordinator Lucy Macdonald
Tuakana

Emily Li

Tuakana

Lily Witheridge

Tuakana

Cerys George

Tuakana

Cooper Godbold

Tuakana

Estelle Fernandez

Tuakana

Nguyen Bui

Tuakana

Moira Araullo

Tuakana

Mina Tesimale

Tuakana

Chloe Broderick

Tuakana

Amanda Ting

Tuakana

Ari Findlay

Tuakana

Stella Luggen

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House Captain Angela Kim
Academic Prefect Amira Shafiq
Arts Prefect Fiona Yang
Cultural Prefect Tina Kim
Environmental Prefect Amelie Preece
Service Prefect Amy Oh
Sports & Wellbeing Prefect Ella Harvey
Tuakana Co-ordinator Emma Cordes
Tuakana

Alanya Chen

Tuakana

Phoebe Fitzsimmons

Tuakana

Nadia Franklin

Tuakana

Rebecca Gunawan

Tuakana

Parmida Jafarian

Tuakana

Grace Kennedy

Tuakana

Henna Kshatriya

Tuakana

Megan O’Connor

Tuakana

Olivia Owen

Tuakana

Shreeji Patel

Tuakana

Elin Vincent

Tuakana

Olivia Wen

 

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