What Two Lifers Learned From a Year as Head Prefects

Ailo Streitel and Parker Sheehan have spent most of their lives at St. Michaels University School. This year, they spent it leading the school as Head Prefects. Alongside the Prefect Council, Heads of Councils and Heads of Houses, the two Lifers helped shape student life in ways that will carry forward long after the Class of 2026 walks across the stage. As they prepare to graduate, Ailo and Parker reflect on a year of big events, hard lessons and the kind of teamwork they didn't expect to need quite so much. Next year, that leadership passes to incoming Head Prefects Anna Beaudry and Kieran MacKay.

Here are some of their reflections on the past school year:

What's one challenge you overcame this year and what did you learn from the experience?

Ailo: One of our biggest challenges this year was managing a massive mix of conflicting student opinions. We learned that the best results happen when we do not choose sides, but instead take valuable pieces from every viewpoint to create a single project. This experience taught us that true leadership is about listening to everyone and synthesizing those diverse perspectives to create school initiatives that are much stronger and more inclusive for the entire student body.

Parker: A big challenge at the start of the year was time constraints and pressure. During the first couple of months, we had an array of events with little time to meet as a prefect group. There were times we had to take extra time out of our schedule or make substantial adjustments. These moments taught us how to work with time pressure and be flexible.

What were some of the highlights from your year as Head Prefect?

Ailo: One of my favourite highlights this year was definitely attempting to turn boring mandatory assemblies into something people actually looked forward to. Instead of just reading off dry announcements, Parker and I started throwing in quick crowd games, a question of the week, and our best shot at humour. It was a fun challenge trying to balance the official stuff the school required with entertainment.

Parker: Aside from the weekly assemblies, the big events like the Christmas and Halloween assemblies were super fun to plan and execute. Visits to the Junior School were also so enjoyable. Taking a trip down memory lane while connecting with the young students was a massive highlight.

What do you know now that you wish you knew at the start of your senior year as a Head Prefect?

Ailo: I wish I knew that being a good leader isn't about doing everything yourself, but about empowering the people around you. If I could go back, I'd tell myself to focus less on leading from the front and more on building up the group, because our biggest successes only happened when we worked together.

Parker: Things often change with little notice, so it's good to be aware that you have to expect the unexpected. On a bigger note, I wish I knew how important the team aspect was. Going into the year, I expected Ailo and me to be fully in charge of the decisions in the council, but I've come to understand the importance of listening to the ideas of other members of the community.

Is there anything about being a Lifer that helped you in your roles?

Ailo: Being a Lifer meant we knew the school inside and out, which gave us a massive head start. Our SMUS history made it so much easier to connect with the younger students, since we had literally been in their shoes. It helped our council to hit the ground running and make a real impact from day one.

Parker: Having a strong pre-existing connection and love for the school helped me be a better Head Prefect. Because both of us grew up here, it was easy to connect with the younger students that we once were.

After graduation, Ailo will attend McGill University to study political science and international relations, and Parker will join the Sauder School of Business at UBC.