Headlines By James Saunders 15th October 2021
I would like to end with a quote from Dead Poet’s Society. "You can find poetry in your everyday life, your memory, in what people say on the bus, in the news, or just what's in your heart." - Carol Ann Duffy Last week I mentioned our competition for National Poetry Day. I have the pleasure of announcing our winner and runner up this week and dedicate these headlines to them. The theme was choice. These two poems are about choosing to be inclusive. Miss Musk and Miss Houlding had so many lovely entries but these two pieces stood out the most. Winner: Shane Stedman (9HTr—Parks House) You’ve stood by me You’ve stood by me through thick and thin My whole life has been easier after you came in. Right from sharing tiffins in school to telling our secret crushes. We’ve always stuck together, sharing our opinions. Our friendship will perpetually reign, Runner Up: Tessa Hardy (8SPl– Parks House) I may not be the best I may not have the most friends But you look lonely and depressed So why don’t you come say hi Or I could if you’d prefer Maybe we could be friends Or just talk for a day So I’ll say hello And you can say it back We can be friend Even just for a day Well done to Shane and Tessa and thank you to Miss Musk and Miss Houlding for organising the competition.
‘We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.’ C11 preparing for their next journey It is at this time of year our C11s start thinking about their next step. This usually involves some sort of college application. I often find myself supporting them with their applications, personal statements and references. This week I had the privilege to start working with some of our C11s - it has been a genuine delight to talk to them about their aspirations. Reading their accomplishments inside and outside of school is impressive but what always strikes me most is that a personal statement is so much more than a simple set of grades. It is about demonstrating character, values and a positive demeanour. The trick to any successful application is getting the balance of all these components right. It is always very clear that colleges are looking for more than just stellar academic credentials. They are looking for that extra stuff; the stuff that defines who we are: character. Thanks to Ethan Skubich 11Rfl and Harry Arkle 11KHo for being excellent parking attendants at our Open Evening. Thank you to every learner who came along and supported our Open Evening. Visitors commented on the enthusiasm and politeness of our learners. Thanks to this weeks tour guides: Sumeyye Almas 10ABR, Maxwell Bennett 10DBR/LBO, Jayden Bishop 10NPO/VSP, Lara Bowen 10CHO, James Boyd 10ABR, Amber Chard 10NPO/VSP, Amelie Cooper 10CHO, Bethan-Mae Crosby 10KCO, Fraser Day 10NPO/VSP, Clara Donnelly 10NPO/ VSP, Eloise Duffy 10FJO, Lola Evans 10RHR, Georgia French 10FJO, Kelicia Gardiner 10KCO, Samuel Grimwood 10ABR, Holly James 10ABR, Malwina Kuczera 10FJO, Larissa Lane 10DBR/LBO, Eddie Lockwood 10DBR/LBO, Harriet Mead 10CHO, Matilda Mead 10ABR, Phoebe Meyer-Hek 10KCO, Oliver Morley 10NPO/VSP, Ryan Mullan 10CHO, Joanne Neary 10DBR/LBO, Finlay Newton 10CHO, Katie Norris 10RHR.