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, International Prefect, Service Prefect, Sports Prefect, and Junior House Prefects overseeing the Junior School. 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 fulfill responsibilities in the wider school community.

Prefect Roles

Message from the Head Prefect

I am so grateful to have the privilege of being Westlake’s Head Prefect for 2020.

Along with my awesome Deputy Head Prefect, Darcy Frank, and the rest of the Prefect team, I really want to encourage students to make the most out of their time here at WGHS. As someone who feels I have truly engrossed myself in achieving and participating in as much as possible at this incredible school, I think it’s very important that other students feel inclined and confident to do the same. I want to enhance their ability to set and achieve high goals for themselves and have the best high school experience possible.

During my early Years 9 and 10, all the way until now, I feel the leadership teams have had a substantial influence on my journey through Westlake Girls. Whether it was coaxing me into participation in an event or fundraiser, or just how leaders presented themselves and were instinctively role models to my peers and I, their presence impacted the kind of Westlake student I have become.

Being approachable is a trait I have admired in past Prefects and leaders, so I will aim to be an approachable Head Prefect who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. I can envision hardships along the way, but they will only make the high points of this year so much more enjoyable.

Hurihia to aroaro ki te ra tukuna to atarangi kia taka ki muri i a koe

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you

Kaia Tupu-South
2020 Head Prefect

Head Prefects