By: Henry Luo ‘24
Wellness Council
The Wellness Council is responsible for general student welfare. Ranging from hosting fun events to ones that inform students about mental and physical health, Wellness Council plays an important role to promote a healthy and happy school environment.
Meet Julia Bohnen! She the first Wellness Council prefect. Since joining WPGA, she has tried to experience all the different opportunities the school has to offer. This year, she is a house captain, first responder, Hoger de Gina club leader, and service council representative. As a prefect, Julia hopes to build meaningful relationships within the student body and create more inter-grade connections that foster a tight-knit community. One piece of advice she has for younger grades is that the more you give yourself to the school, the more you will get out of your experience. This is a tricky balancing game between committing to every opportunity and focusing on opportunities that you truly love, but once you find the ones that resonate with you, hold onto them!
Meet Henry Luo! He is Wellness’ other prefect. This year, he is a member of the speech and debate team, leading Business Club and coordinating VYMUN. Next year, Henry wants to create a strong and inclusive student community. Having been on the Wellness Council before, he plans to take the council one step further and leave a positive impact on the student body. He envisions the Wellness Council to be one that builds a positive school environment that promotes healthy habits and addresses student stresses. Next year, he is excited about the perfect group and all the amazing things that are in store, and encourages everyone to continue to improve themselves.
Service Council
The Service Council is responsible for serving the greater community. Through events like Sleep Out Vancouver, Silent Day, and can drives, Service Council makes a huge impact every year both within and outside of school.
Meet Edward Gao, the first Service Council prefect! Grateful for everything the school has done for him, Edward is excited for the opportunity to give back as a prefect. As the head of next year’s council, he hopes to create new events and make service fun for everyone! Edward feels that everyone at school can and should give back in some capacity, from supporting peers at Sleep Out to donating food to the can drive. Apart from council, Edward is very active in school: he is on the debate and speech team, participates in Model UN, and plays Tetris—a lot of Tetris. If there is one last thing you should know about Edward, it’s that he and Anderson (Arts Council) are not brothers. They might be in the same grade, have a lot of the same classes, and share a last name, but no, they aren’t brothers. And no, Mr. Johnston, they aren’t the same person. Edward’s message for the younger grades is to not be afraid to talk to the prefects! He says they are here to help, and that if you have any questions or concerns about anything, feel free to approach him in the hallways—Edward might be tall and intimidating but he’s a gentle giant!
Meet Cadence Chua! She is the second prefect for the Service Council. In her free time, she can be found on the tennis courts, playing violin and piano, and always listening to copious amounts of Taylor Swift. Next year, as a Service Council Prefect, she hopes to bring back council field trips where the students can give back to the community and experience firsthand the impact they can make. Since COVID, many of the iconic annual initiatives have either been halted or downscaled. In the coming year, she is making it her priority to bring back these events and get students excited about service. Cadence is super happy to be working with a great group of students next year, and sees exciting plans ahead!
Spirit Council
Spirit Council is responsible for managing every holiday event and creating a cheerful atmosphere. Some of the past events the council has run are the Welcome Back ceremonies, Winter Wonderweek, candy grams, and just about anything and everything else!
Meet Callum Taylor! He is the first of the Spirit Council prefects. An active member of the school community, he is very involved in WPGA’s Theatre Company, Quiz Club, and this term, he has been participating in community events from going to Bamfield for a Bio trip, to Sleep Out 2023. Most importantly though, he is a dedicated golfer and tries to get out as much as he can. He says, “Home is where the heart is, but I am always on the golf course.” In the coming school year, Callum plans to increase inclusivity in the school community and keep up the incredible school spirit. He wants to let everyone know that student engagement will be his top priority so do not be afraid to strike up a conversation with him at any time.
Meet Noah Dachner, the second Spirit Council prefect. A man of inquiry, action, and joy, he has been a veteran of the Spirit Council for the past 3 years. This year, he is a house captain, involved in the Theatre Company, and participates in the GSA. In his free time, he loves to figure skate, as he has for the last 8 years, and enjoys photography. Aside from world domination, his plans next year as a prefect are to increase school spirit, host more fun events, and get to know everyone better. He is excited for the school theatre production and the grad year. One piece of advice Noah has for younger grades is to do everything. Do everything you can while you are still young and most importantly: don’t take things too seriously.
Athletics Council
Athletics council is responsible for countless exciting events including students vs. teacher games, send-offs, and bringing the cheer to home games, usually with a drum.
Meet Elise Soeller, the one and only Athletics Council prefect for next year. An avid volleyball player, she is also involved in Hoger de Gina and other clubs at school. She is a cat-lover (her cat is named Pickle), beach-lover and caffeine-lover. As prefect, she is ecstatic to be a part of the athletic council again and hopes to host lots of school events with fun prizes. Of course, it cannot go without saying that she also ambitiously wishes to extend lunch breaks and open a Starbucks on campus. Just kidding. Next year, she is excited to be with her grade and being with her friends and having two working shoulders. Finally, she is excited to cheer on all the sports teams.
Arts Council
Arts Council is responsible for the highly anticipated Arts Week every year. The council also promotes the school production, music concerts, and fosters the artistic side of WPGA.
Meet Anderson Gao, the first Arts prefect. Whether he is gliding down the slopes on a snowboard or giving his all on stage for the school production, he is excited to be leading the Arts Council. In his free time, he can be found playing video games or solving rubik’s cubes. In the coming school year, he looks forward to serving as a role model for younger students and livening all events by wearing a dinosaur costume. He is thrilled to organise the upcoming Coffee House and help the school production of Alice in Wonderland (keep an eye out for tickets next year!)
Meet Kiara Wijanta, the second Arts Council representative! A talented artist, one can find her artwork everywhere around the school whether it be a mural, student council event announcements, or the annual school play poster. Kiara has also been a member of the school’s orchestra since the 3rd grade, making music and art her medium to inspire. As a prefect next year, Kiara plans encourage students to express themselves artistically. She is also taking on a personal endeavour to enhance the advertisement of student-led events amongst the school community. It is her goal to make every event known, whether it be running event-based instagrams or designing fun and exciting posters. One piece of advice Kiara has for younger students is to not be afraid to express themselves, as there are many ways within the shool that support and cultivate passions.
Grad Council
The Grad Council, though lesser known, plays an essential role in organising events for the grad class of the year.
Meet Juliette Levy-Gay! She is involved in Theatre Company, Concert Band, GSA, and Model United Nations. Her plans as a prefect are to increase connection between grades, install a new buddy system, and present prefects as the bonded group that they are. She is excited about preparing for the theatre production of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and graduating in June, after making the most of the year with her grade and for the rest of the school. One piece of advice Juliette has for younger grades is to try everything and find an activity or two that you are truly passionate about. Then, stick to those ones because if you try to do everything, you will cause yourself too much stress and won’t be able to give anything your all.
Overall, next year’s prefects seem to be a lively and passionate bunch who carry many ambitions and hopes for the new school year. They’re excited to get started and hope to connect with each and every member of the student body, and hope that you can connect with them too!